Building a Refuge
by FreeformFay72
Summary: Cassie Dellaro had a full summer when her famous author of a mother was killed, and had a rough start to her school year. But with the new family she's created with her brothers Travis, she's getting ready for the holidays and getting ready for her own book to come out. But the veils between the worlds are growing thinner, and things getting dangerous, will it be Happy Holidays?
1. The Burrow

**AN: Here we are, the first chapter again. Before you start reading this, you need to know that this is a sequel! Following a Legacy was the first (as I'm sure some of you know) and this is the second. I don't have a posting schedule worked out just yet, so don't expect too much, but I'm sure the second chapter will be up probably before the weekend is done if I finish the third and fourth parts.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

I couldn't help it and I started laughing again.

"Come on! I'm never going to get a picture at this rate," Nico complained.

I rubbed my cheeks then did my best serious look.

He took a picture.

"Please tell me that you got it."

"Yes, I finally got it." Nico smiled. "It looks really good."

I went over and looked at it. "Nice," I praised it, giving him a high five.

He grinned. "Come on, it's almost time to meet Will!"

I laughed and followed him toward Harvard University's campus.

Will had told us exactly what time he would be out of his dorm, packed for Thanksgiving.

I was just thankful that our both of our schools let out for the whole of Thanksgiving week, giving us the weekend before as well. Travis and I had driven non-stop to get us to Boston yesterday and this morning. We would stay in Boston until Tuesday. Sunday we were going out to the safehouse to finish furnishing and decorating (or at least plan it) and to drop off the supplies we had for it. On Monday afternoon, I was going to meet Percy, Annabeth, and her cousin, Magnus, at the half-way house that he ran and then bring them out to the safe house to see what they would be like. Apparently he had a couple friends that were going to come see as well. Then on Tuesday, Percy and Annabeth would travel with us to New York, coming out to Long Island until the actual day of Thanksgiving when they would head back into Manhattan and spend it with Percy's family.

I glanced at my watch. "Nico, there's still fifteen minutes." I stopped, looking in a bookshop window.

He came back, looking impatient. "What if he's early?"

"What if he's late?" I nudged him. "Come on, really quickly. I just want to pick up some classics to put in the safe house."

"How fast can you do that?"

"Depends on whether you grab the Harry Potter series for me or not."

He followed me inside, darting off to find those while I grabbed books by Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain…

"Time's up!" He had some other books on his stack as well. "I grabbed the books from that other author you like as well. The fairy tale lady."

"Gail Carson Levine, thank you."

We set the books on the counter.

The guy looked at them, a little concerned.

"Our books got destroyed when the basement flooded," I explained.

He seemed to be a little more accepting afterward.

Nico was frowning at the classics I had grabbed. "The heck is 'Little Women'?"

"A classic, and beyond your realm of interests," I said a little dryly. "We'll watch the movie so you can get the gist of it."

He made a face. "Do we have to?"

I arched an eyebrow.

"Stupid question," He said nervously, grabbing the bags of books and leading the way out. "Now can we go meet Will?"

"Yes." I gave him a light shove.

He flashed me a quick smile before his gaze snapped across the street. "It just walked right by us."

"Ignore it and keep walking. Doesn't do any good to take notice of it. Just might bring it's notice to you."

"Right," He felt the protection charm on his necklace with his free hand, then grinned. "Will!"

The blond turned toward us, his gaze searching a moment before a grin lit up his features. "Nico!"

I took the bag of books so Nico could run over and meet him.

Nico hugged Will, then backed away and punched his arm. "Dork."

Will rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's exactly how to greet your boyfriend."

Nico's face was red. "We're in public."

I rolled my eyes and 'bumped into' Nico, knocking him into Will's arms where he promptly got kissed by his boyfriend.

Nico's face was bright red when he pulled away.

I rolled my eyes. "Hi, Will."

He grinned at me. "Thanks for the assist."

"My pleasure." I gave him a quick, one-armed hug since I had the bags of books.

Nico took that back from me. "Glad to be on break?"

Will nodded, looking relieved. "Super glad. I thought it would never come. Are we staying in a hotel or at the safehouse?"

"Safehouse," Nico answered. "We figured there are already beds there. It's actually really nice. There are three bedrooms, and a nice bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a laundry room, plus a basement. Cassie has been getting stuff for this place for weeks in anticipation."

"Well, it doesn't hurt to plan somewhat ahead and I had a picture of the completed bathroom so I could decorate accordingly."

"And what is the theme for the bathroom?" Will asked, linking arms with me.

"Not quite teal, but it's more that color. I think the towel color was called aruba blue? Anyway, it's nothing too fancy. The color mostly comes from the towels and the shower curtain. I just add the supplies like hand soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair brushes and combs, hair-ties, hair clips, bobby pins, headbands, makeup remover, sunscreen, aloe, medicine, bandaids, tissues, and lotion."

Both of them had stopped to stare at me.

"Nothing too extensive, though," Will said, sarcasm highly present.

I shrugged a bit. "In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really account for much. There's not much you can do to a bathroom. It's already nice without the touches, with them it looks complete. The supplies are just because it is a safe house and how many kids do you know that remember toothbrushes? Or sunscreen? Deodarant! That's what I forgot."

"We can get that later." Will patted my back. "Where are you two parked?"

I shook my head. "Travis dropped us off. Said he'd parking at a pastry place on Dunster?"

Will nodded. "Mike's, got it. This way. Text him and tell him to get cannoli."

I did that, letting Will and Nico guide be through the crowded streets. "I would have expected it to be less busy."

"Yeah, not sure what's up with that. Oh! And wedding cookies."

I figured the last part was for the order. "So, enjoying your college diet?"

He made something of a whimper. "Food costs money. Are we getting paid to help you set up?"

I laughed a bit. "Yeah, I'll pay you."

"No, I was just joking."

"She wasn't," Nico informed him. "She doesn't joke about money."

Will looked at me.

I shrugged. "Travis and I already figured out the budget for this project. Even after buying the land and paying for the construction—"

"You had it constructed?"

"Had to for some of the safety features. Anyway, we're coming in way below budget. Part of that is frugal spending, another part of that is cheaper construction costs because of special abilities."

"How far away is the safe house?"

"About an hour and a half from here, depending on traffic. It was a sweet deal. You don't just pass up ten and a half acres."

We crossed the street and met Travis by my car.

"Back to the safe house?" Travis asked after greeting Will.

I nodded. "Yeah, I want to get everything set up and try and get things organized so that I can figure out what I forgot and make a list."

Will tossed his suitcase in the backseat, then grabbed Nico by his coat when the younger boy went to get in the front seat. "Uh, no."

Travis and I exchanged an amused glance, got into the car, and started the trip back to the safehouse.

"So, are there code names for these safehouses? Or are they just safehouse 1, safehouse 2? Or are they identified by location?" Will asked from the backseat, sort of wrestling with Nico as Nico fought to not be smothered.

"Well, I'm giving them code names, but I think for the system they're just numbered."

"So what's this one?"

"The Burrow, because it's just outside of Westborough and all of the other -borough areas nearby. I just thought it fit." I shrugged.

"What's the property like?"

"Wooded, which had mixed reception when I presented the safehouse plan to Grover and some other nature spirits. But once I explained that there were plans to rejuvenate the native species on the property as well as replace any trees that were removed for the building of this safe house, they seemed okay with it. Especially after Rikki's energy solution finally worked for something."

"What?" Nico asked.

"Rikki's energy solution? She was trying to come up with something that could help demigods, give them a burst of energy. Instead they discovered that she had created a sort of…electrical energy type deal. Strong stuff too, apparently in their experiments, they had just a little bit of it and it completely blew ten lightbulbs."

"Yikes. I mean, cool that they found a use for it, but messy. So, when you told Grover that the native species would be rejuvenated, does that refer to Peter's magic stuff?" Nico shoved Will's face into the car window. "Would you behave!"

Will just laughed.

I thought back to when Peter had first shown us his magic water, how it had turned the nasty water, the plastic bottle, and trash and turned it all clean and natural. Turning the glass jar they had tried to use to contain it into sand. "Actually, I'm supposed to do that this weekend. Grover is supposed to meet us there to see what this stuff does. Apparently he heard a lot about it when he visited Northpoint but Peter apparently chose that week to run away."

"Is it more controllable?" Will asked, sounding and looking concerned.

I shrugged. "They said it was."

"What about the properties that sit on our property?" Nico asked.

"Well…well…we'll figure it out."

"And the book is going to have directions to two of these houses?"

"And will lead them to the magic website. Leo's putting the last touches on it. Here's hoping it works the way we want it to." I shrugged.

"Wait, we're actually doing the website?"

"Magical website. Demigods need resources and I refuse to let monsters have complete control over the Internet. We should be able to communicate without monsters attacking us."

Travis chuckled.

"Don't."

"It's a theme with you."

"Is not."

"Um…" Nico started.

"Nobody asked you," I protested.

Will laughed. "I missed you guys." He buried his face in Nico's shoulder.

"We missed you," Nico responded, smiling broadly.

"Did you get more muscle?" Will pulled away and started poking at Nico.

I grinned.

"I've been hanging out with Johnny and he has to work out for Football and Basketball. So I've just been joining him every once in a while." Nico shrugged. "I've gotten to know some of the other guys because of it. I'm actually tutoring one of the guys in Italian which apparently gets me some sort of credit that colleges look at."

Will chuckled. "It's a good change. I think if you hadn't you might have gained some weight in a different way."

"I haven't gained weight."

"I beg to differ. You're not as skinny as back in August." Will was still poking at Nico.

"Definitely not as skinny," I agreed. "I only know how to cook the kind of food that sticks to your bones. I was glad I could get back to my dance lessons."

"Yeah? Back to doing hip-hop?"

"Yeah, but I'm also doing swing dancing. I just…I felt like I needed something to try and get me used to crowds again."

"It's been fun, actually," Nico said.

"You've been doing swing dancing?"

"Yeah, I wasn't going to let her go alone." Nico shrugged. "Besides, it made it easier in the beginning. We learned together, plus I could be her partner while she got comfortable with the crowds. There's actually a good group from school that have started going as well and since we were there before we actually look like we know what we're doing."

"Yeah? You too, Travis?"

"When I've got time." Travis had been really busy trying to balance school, the commute, and making sure we were okay. He had burned out about a week ago and had his own sort of meltdown, and ended up pranking me and Nico, and pickpocketing us and the friends that came over after school. THey were pretty amused by it, thankfully, but it was a pretty clear sign to Nico and I that Travis was at the end of his rope and doing his best to climb back up it.

"What about you?" I asked Will. "What have you been up to?"

"School. Pretty much just school. I've hung out a bit with some classmates, and I went to see a movie a while ago. But mostly it's school, TV, and making sure I stay active because I still need to be able to fight monsters. Practice my archery. That got me a few weird looks." He stretched. "Thanksgiving break came a little late but also just in time."

"I know, our writing class is getting pretty intense. It's gotten to the point where the only person still doing solidly well is Cassie, which is just rude," Nico told him. "Our teacher keeps looked at Cassie like she doesn't know what to do with her. How many extra challenges has she given you now?"

"Five," I answered, a little sheepish. "But it's only because the only edits being suggested at this point is on grammar. I keep slipping with punctuation and dialog here and there."

"I know, everyone's been saving your chapters until last so that they can unwind after editing all the others." Nico rolled his eyes. "And you can't exactly lower your standard."

"Not really."

"How's Johnny doing with his sister around more?" Will asked, changing the subject when he realized we were going to continue debating the matter.

"Oh, he's so thrilled. She punched him a couple days ago and tried to pretend it was an accident," I answered. "But his dad saw it and it didn't fly so well. Her new psychiatrist already said she's not allowed to return and apparently warned other psychiatrists in the area about her."

"And that curse?"

"Still waiting on word from Eithne."

"Your book release?"

I groaned and closed my eyes.

He laughed as Nico and Travis did their best not to. They knew all that Jacob was telling me that needed to happen and things that I should do and trying to make suggestions without pushing me into something I'm uncomfortable with. Which was pretty much everything.

"How bad could it possibly be?"

"There have been requests for me to show up on talk shows to talk about my mom and her books and my books and inquiries about possibly interviewing me for magazines. Plus Jacob wants to set up a few book signings. I've been asked to speak at a teen empowerment event, and at a writing workshop. And the police report and court records from the trial were found by some journalists and now those articles are being written and questions being asked. It's so lovely."

"So, bad," Will concluded.

I nodded. "I told Jacob that when he came over for pre-Thanksgiving lunch that he wasn't allowed to talk about anything having to do with public figures or my mom's or my books. No questions about writing. Nothing."

"He protested," Travis added.

"At length," I added. "That's your turn."

"Right." Travis turned onto the road, then finally onto the driveway to the house.

We got out of the vehicle and I looked at the little piece of paradise that someone had carved out of a forested piece of land.

"It looks nice from out here." Will looked it over. "I've got to see the inside now."

"It isn't finished. We barely have the furniture in, right now," I told him, heading toward the door.

"Show me," He responded.

We went into the Burrow.

"This is the living room. As you can see I haven't quite decorated yet. That's actually on today's list of things to do." I looked around.

"That looks like a comfy couch." Will went over to the black couch and flopped onto it. "It is a comfy couch."

Nico grinned. "I helped pick it."

Travis kissed my temple so that he could whisper about a call he had to make, then went back outside.

"What the color theme again?"

I went and pulled out the rug. It had a feather design and all of the colors, dark blue, light blue, robin's egg blue, yellow, and green. "Blue, yellow, and green. Obviously, gray and black are the neutral tones."

"Dude, that recliner!"

"Is very comfortable," Nico told him. "I slept in it last night. Didn't mean to, but I did."

"It was all that hard work you did moving furniture," I smiled.

"You know it."

"So, how long will it take you to finish setting this place up?"

"If I start now, I might be done Monday afternoon. There's still a bunk bed upstairs that needs to be put together, then we have to get the mattresses up there, I'll make the beds, put in the extra clothing, stock the bathroom, finish stocking the kitchen, stock the storage in the laundry room, stock the laundry supplies, decorate, and then hopefully it will be ready for anything and I can focus on then next one with a better idea of what needs to be done and the most efficient way of doing it."

"So nothing major," Will summed up sarcastically.

I stuck my tongue out at him, then started pulling throw pillows out of the box and tossing them on him.

He caught the first two, then the third hit him in the head. "Geez, Cassie, how many pillows does the living room need?"

"Look, I forgot I bought some and bought more. So sue me. At least they bring in the colors."

"There is that. Does it need decorating, though?"

"I suppose we could get away with not decorating, but I feel like this place might feel more welcoming if we do decorate. I don't know." I pulled out the painting I had found for the wall and went grabbed the picture-hanging kit, looking for the right set.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Nico darted out of the room and up the stairs.

Will came over while I was searchign through the tools for the hammer (it seemed to enjoy disappearing. "He really is healthier than he was. Happier too. I mean, he actually seems to have energy, and whenever I talk to him he's so…positive and I feel more positive because of it. He keeps smiling. I know you never experienced it, but Nico didn't smile a lot before the war with the giants."

"You changed that. You and the others."

"We started it, yeah. How the heck did you get skin and bones to gain weight? And in muscle?"

"I told you, I only know how to make the kinds of meals that stick to your bones. And he eats, and he's working out with Johnny, and then we're dancing, so I honestly don't know. Maybe it's the ice cream we ate after…"

"How are you doing?"

I gave a pained smile. "Some days are better than others. School's been hard. Not classes themselves, but the hallways. Um, there's a group that now use me for target practice, and a group that is very protective of me. It is literally the scholars and drama students against the football team. For some reason the whole football team, well, what remains of the football team just assumed responsibility of making sure that no one gets bullied. They started a sort of get together every friday where there's no alcohol, drugs, or smoking, since it's at the school and it's basically a clean party every other friday. Movie night on the others."

"And you had nothing to do with it? Nothing at all?" He looked skeptical.

I shrugged. "I told Johnny that he had the influence to make a change, and that he was presented with the opportunity to do so."

"Were all of the guys involved with your case on the football team?"

"All five, yes. Their team was extremely shaken. Homecoming was not fun. At all."

"NIco said you got nominated for homecoming queen."

"Don't know how, and I made sure everyone knew that it wasn't going to happen."

"He also said you won homecoming queen."

"Jokes on them, I didn't go to homecoming dance." I finally found the hammer in the bottom of a box that I didn't even know had been opened.

"You skipped your homecoming dance?"

"I stayed home and watched a movie with Travis' grandpa. I wasn't ready for that kind of interaction. That crowd." I grabbed my lipstick and the level.

"Um…" He pointed to the lipstick.

"It's just a trick for hanging pictures. The lipstick marks the wall where I need to put this little dohicky."

"But then you have lipstick on your wall…"

"It washes off. Heck, I can't even keep it on my lips for more than two hours. Especially if I eat. Or stay hydrated. I highly doubt it will stick to the wall. Hold this level."

He took it.

I figured out how high I wanted the painting and then pressed it against the wall, then pulled it away and smiled at the pink mark on the wall. "Now I just have to center, level, and hammer the nail into the wall. Then I have the four-piece design, which will be a little more difficult."

"Do you still have to see the head doctor?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Yeah, but not as often. Once a month."

"Do you like her?"

"Yeah, I just don't like that I have to go see her. I want to be done with this. Apparently, that's not how anxiety works."

"You and Malcolm?"

"Good, I'm excited to see him."

"Just excited. You said that like…"

"What? I'm excited."

"Then why are you so calm? I was practically dying waiting to see Nico again." Will handed over the level.

I shrugged. "You've been dating him longer. Malcolm and I are still working things out. Technically we said we would be taking a break, we just never did. And I am excited to see him. We haven't even been in the same room since before the whole mess. We've talked. A lot, actually."

"Cassie, do you like him as a boyfriend, or as a friend?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"The important kind?"

"I'm sixteen, what's important right now is surviving high school and getting into a good college. He's my boyfriend. If that changes, then so be it."

Will had an alarmed look on his face.

Nico came back down with something large and wooden. "Will, you look like…"

"Nico, I need a life boat."

"Why?"

"My ship…she's going down."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you serious? All of this because I'm not as clingy as you and Nico are? I've always been a little independent and there's something called delayed gratification. Learn about it, please." I tossed the level back into the box while I hammered the picture hanger into the wall.

"You can't compare Cassie and Malcolm to us, Will. Malcolm still asks if it's okay to kiss her. You don't ask, you just kiss me."

"Yeah, and you're still a chicken and won't really kiss me."

Nico rolled his eyes as he set aside the board thing. Then he grabbed Will's shirt and pulled him into a kiss that was so intense that I looked away.

"Stop checking me temperature, Solace."

I snorted and barely held back the following laughter.

Travis came back inside. "What's this wooden thing on the couch where I want to sit?"

"Right!" Nico grabbed it and turned it toward me. "I saw the thing you made of instructions and…"

I grinned. "You made it into a sign?!"

Will came around. "What does it say? Dyslexia not happy."

"The Burrow: A Safe House. The rules are simple: The food you need will appear in the fridge after you write on the grocery list on the fridge. Backpacks are in the basement, feel free to take one that is fully stocked or one that is empty. Clothes are in the dressers, and you can take two shirts and two pairs of pants, a pack of socks, and any other supplies you may need. Stay Safe! Maps to safe places are in the basement where the supplies are," I read the sign, remembering writing it. "It's perfect, thank you, Nico." I kissed his cheek.

He leaned it against the wall, grinning. "I'll go work on that bunk bed."

"I'm right behind you." Travis stretched and forced himself up. "Will, we could use a third set of hands."

"How difficult is this bed?"

"Very."

I grinned after them, then looked around the living room quickly to assess what else needed to be done. This was the first step in making a difference for demigods.

I was really glad it was the holidays.


	2. Life is Complicated

I lay down on the carpet, groaning.

"Dude, who knew organizing could be so exhausting?" Nico asked.

Travis just barely managed to raise his hand, then it dropped back to his side. "I'm still trying to organize the mess that was left to Cassie. With the help of lawyers. Plural."

Will must have been out.

"On the bright side, we finished a lot earlier than I thought we would. I mean, it's Monday, barely after noon. I assumed we would be doing this until the cows came home."

"What does that even mean?" Nico asked, squeaking slightly in protest.

"A long time," I explained.

"How do you even know that phrase?"

"I'm from Michigan. Our agriculture is primarily corn, cow products, soybeans, sugar beets, pigs, wheat, and potatoes, I think. You can't drive five miles—"

"Without hitting a body of water," Travis tried to fill in the rest of the sentence.

"Without seeing at least one farm of some sort. Travis, what the heck?"

"I don't… I don't know."

"Take a nap. I'm going to go get cleaned up since I have to go meet Percy, Annabeth, her cousin and his friends."

"Want us to come with?" Nico asked, suddenly looking alert.

"I'll be fine," I told him. "It's Percy and Annabeth. If something happens, she'll outwit them to death and Percy will drown them. Besides, I know you're a text away."

He nodded slowly and relaxed again.

"Try not to make a mess, guys." I hurried upstairs to change out of my grungy clothes and into nicer ones, do my hair, and my makeup. Then I grabbed my purse and hurried back downstairs, out to the car and back into town.

When I arrived at the address Annabeth had given me, I waited for a moment or two, taking in the manor before me. "Okay then." I went inside.

A short man greeted me. "This is a safe place for everyone," He started the spiel.

"Sorry, um, before you continue, I'm not in trouble, I'm not lacking in resources, I'm here because Annabeth and Percy are here. I'm Cassie."

"Oh, welcome! I'm Blitzen, I'm a good friend of Magnus'. Follow me, they're in the lounge."

"Love your vest," I commented casually.

He straighted in and fussed with the sleeves of his shirt. "It's part of my own line."

"Impressive."

"You're the one that's funding the safe houses for…your kind?"

"Yeah, well, a lot of the lands we're using are part of my inheritance and I wanted to make a difference. Demigods have so few resources. Places like this, make a difference. People like this make a difference. I guess I want to be one of those kinds of people."

He looked at me strangely.

"Cassie!" Annabeth saw me and waved from across the room.

Percy smiled beside her.

The other guy looked a bit like Annabeth, blond hair and grey eyes, but he also looked different, which was to be expected.

The person on his other side was dressed in green and pink, had short green hair, and I couldn't decide if they were a boy or a girl. Maybe that's what s/he was going for.

Then there was a guy just to the left of Percy, pale skin and pale blonde hair, tall and skinny. Almost sickly looking and dressed entirely in black except for the scarf around his neck.

Annabeth hugged me. "How are you? I meant to check on you forever ago but I've been so busy with classes…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm doing good. I'm managing crowds. School is still tough, but the rest of life seems to be falling back into something resembling order." I shrugged.

Percy gave me a quick hug.

"Cassie, this is my cousin, Magnus, his friend Alex, and this is Hearth. You met Blitzen."

I nodded. "I interrupted him. I apologized for interrupting, right?"

He nodded. "She's got a way with words," He told Magnus and the others.

"I get it from my mom," I told them, shrugging.

"Who's your mom? Athena?" Alex (the one in pink and green) asked.

"That would make me dating a son of Athena pretty dang awkward," I answered. "My mom was mortal. She was a writer."

"A famous writer. I've been reading one of her books. It's really good. Mom had it on her shelf at home," Percy told them and then me.

"Glad you like it."

"What's her name? Maybe I've read something of hers?" Alex asked, arching an eyebrow.

I noticed Blitzen signing for Hearth, and waited for him to catch up a bit. "Juliet Dellaro."

Alex's eyes widened. "No way! I loved her book 'Transitioning Guard'!"

"That is a good one." I smiled.

Magnus frowned a bit. "Is she the one that wrote 'Cedar Dawn'?"

"Unless there's another book out there with that title, then yes. It's the one with the artist who goes to cedar swamps all over and draws what he sees and who he meets?"

"Yeah," Magnus confirmed, lighting up a bit with a smile. "My mom would read it to me in the winter when we both wanted to be outside in nature. It was always like we were actually there."

"Well, she did write it by going to a bunch of different cedar swamps. Dragged me with her. I'm joking, I dragged her. I went through this obsession with cedar trees after doing a research paper on them. I'm glad to hear you guys like her books."

"She's one of the few female authors that was already on these shelves before we came." Alex smiled. "You really don't like talking about her, do you?"

I glanced at the ceiling. "It's still a little raw."

They looked confused.

"Cassie's mom died in…May?" Annabeth looked for confirmation.

"Late May, yeah."

Magnus looked apologetic immediately. "I'm so sorry. I know how rough that can be."

"What was it? Car crash? Drugs?" Alex pressed in.

I shifted.

"Cancer? Some other medical thing?"

"A knife, stabbing her. Multiple times while I watched in horror," I answered, surprised by how calm I managed to stay. "The police are just now closing in on the people they think kidnapped us and killed my mom."

"So when Annabeth said she meant to check on you earlier," Magnus gave Alex a glare.

"She meant because I got drugged and raped. Can we not? I really just… can we just go to the safe house? I'm kind of done with talking about what happened. I already have to do it with a shrink, and frankly I don't know you two that well. I don't know these two that well, either, but I know of them more so…" I shrugged.

Alex actually looked apologetic. "Sorry, yeah. Let's see this place for heroes."

Magnus looked extremely uncomfortable and he was either blushing or red with fury. My guess was blushing.

Percy and Annabeth had a bit of fire in their eyes over the topic of what happened.

I led the way out to my car since that's what we would be taking. "I'm sorry, I don't know sign language otherwise I would use it. I only know like…three letters from when I tried to learn back in fifth grade."

"It's okay," Blitzen put on some gloves and some sort of veil thing, signing as after he finished.

Hearth signed something quickly.

"He says that you at least tried."

I gave him a smile, then we went outside and I flinched back as a large group raced past us on the sidewalk.

Annabeth put an arm around my shoulders in what looked like a friendly gesture, but was really a sort of comforting, protective gesture to help force myself forward. She must have talked to Travis. Or Nico.

We piled into the van and I started driving us back to the Burrow.

"Did you finish your work?"

"Yeah, it's done. We finished just before I came to get you guys. I'm going to need all of y'alls input on how comfortable you guys feel in it, the decor, everything. We even made these little survey filler things, they're in my purse."

Alex had snagged the passenger seat and went into my purse to get them. "The Burrow?"

"It's what I've been calling it. I know, it's dorky."

Percy smiled. "Could be worse, you could have named a dragon 'Happy'."

"That's true," Annabeth confirmed.

Annabeth somehow directed the conversation in the back seats back to Thanksgiving.

Alex glanced at me. "Sorry about your mom. It must have been tough going through all of that."

"Must have been tough making sure Ragnarok didn't occur. Life is tough. You either learn to carry more weight or break. Or you have an awesome team to help you carry the load until you're strong enough to carry it yourself. I will never save the world, not like every other person in this van. I have a quieter calling, I think."

Alex turned around in her seat. "I see what you mean, Blitz." Then he looked at me. "Who is your godly parent?"

"Hermes," I answered.

"And he is…?"

"The god of thieves, travelers, merchants, messenger of the gods, communication, and a ton of other crap. There's also his roman form, his Celtic forms, and just an overall ambiguity in the lines between the worlds when it comes to him. It's seriously frustrating and really cool all at once." I was surprised when I realized we were already at the turn onto the road. "Um, there is no way we've been talking for an hour and a half."

"Nope."

"Then what the heck, how did we get here so quickly?" I squeaked.

The others were paying attention now, looking around.

Travis came running out onto the road, saw us and waved for us to enter the driveway.

I did as he said, rolling down the window once we were over the border. "What the actual heck?"

"Eithne, thought she'd speed things up."

I felt my eyes widen. "She's here?"

"Just a bit. And she carries with her a list of things that you need to break the curse on New Year's Eve."

"Oh lovely. How bad is it inside?"

"She realized you had guests and took to the woods. Something about fairy rings. You have to meet her in a few hours."

"But I'm safe to bring these guys in?"

"Oh yeah, I just came out to make sure you knew it was safe." He back away and then jogged ahead of us, then broke into a sprint and disappeared around the bend of the driveway while I put the van back into gear.

"Okay, everything is good. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about." I took us in and parked the van, getting out and grabbing my purse.

They piled out as well, then stood looking at the place.

"Looks like good architecture," Annabeth grinned. She had been consulted over the general design.

I nodded. "There's going to be some landscaping done but not the kind you guys are thinking. Go ahead and go in. Remember, the surveys are actually going to be used for the next safe house in New York."

"The next one is in New York?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, well, it's a loft in New York, but it's still better than nothing. There will also be a house on the fringe of the city if we manage to get what we want. I'm watching the real estate around there." I followed them in.

"Nice, can we sit on the furniture?" Magnus asked.

"No, you can just stare at it."

He turned a bit pink.

"Of course, Will slept on the black couch last night. Nico's already slept in the recliner. And Travis has napped in all of it. Not a very good sign that you think you can't sit on the furniture."

"I love the sign, it's actually decently easy for someone with dyslexia to read."

"Nico made that."

"You wrote it," Nico argued, appearing from the kitchen, holding the yellow and white patterned bean bag. "I found it." He tossed it into place.

"I love the lockers, practical and yet stylish in an industrial sort of way." Blitzen was examining the room with a critical eye.

"Nice TV." Percy looked like he wasn't sure what he was doing in the survey group.

"But if you guys came in knowing that this was a safe house and needing refuge, would you feel comfortable just taking advantage of what's here?"

Percy nodded. "I mean, it's nicer than any place I've ever lived, but if I had come here as a kid on a quest…"

"It might have been a little weird at first, but we would have gotten over it once we got food. Does the fridge really work?" Annabeth asked.

Magnus, Alex, Blitz, and Hearth quickly read the sign.

I nodded. "Yeah, we can go in there next."

"What's the kitchen theme?" Annabeth asked.

"Honestly, lemons."

Percy laughed.

We went into the kitchen, me demonstrating how the fridge worked, showing them that there were pots, pans, some foods in the cupboards that kept for long periods of time, dishes; everything anyone would need if they were living here.

"Hearth wants to know what magic was used to create all of this." Magnus translated.

"Celtic and Greek, mixed, there might be others too. I honestly don't know and I did not ask because it's better if I don't."

"Who's Eithne?" Alex asked.

"An acquaintance, a Celtic one."

"There's an understatement," Nico muttered, standing beside me.

"What is?" Eithne seemed to appear by the sink with a glass of water in her hand. She looked around at us like nothing had happened.

We all jumped, going for our weapons before the ones that recognized her realized who it was.

"Eithne, don't do that. We're jumpy people with weapons."

She tilted her head. "Meaning?"

"Meaning someone might try to kill you." I told her.

She glanced around then shrugged. "Sumarbrander might stand a chance, and the rune-master." She signed something to Hearth, then continued signing as she spoke. "It takes something special to really get me. Plus there's Faolan."

"Who?" Percy asked. He looked at her warily.

"Faolan, he's…my body guard." She played with the necklace that had a wooden charm on it, a Celtic design, of course. Her other necklace was the Celtic tree of healing. It was a strange contrast to her Mickey Mouse T-Shirt, the red feather earrings, the rainbow bracelets, the the peacock and blue hair feathers. "He stays close."

I rolled my eyes. "Eithne."

She smirked.

Travis came in, going straight to the fridge. "I lost track of Eithne."

I arched an eyebrow.

She waved a hand in his face and he didn't react, which caused her to grin.

Her mistake was trying to pick his pocket.

He caught her wrist, did some sort of twist and had a strange-looking knife to her throat in seconds. "Eithne," He growled.

" _Bain do scian, dathúil_."

He slowly moved away. "No magic, Eithne."

"I'm sorry, she did just tell you to remove your knife and then called you handsome, right?" I asked, making sure my head had translated it correctly.

"Ooh, much better, _mo chara_." Eithne gave me a grin. "But how's your old english?"

I shrugged. " _Sê ðâ ðe spr¯æc gîetonæðele me. Stîðfindan bêga wihtâl¯æran ðæge pro_." This language more natural to me. Hard to find a person to teach it.

"True, very true."

Annabeth was frowning. "That was old english?"

"As close as I can get right now, yes."

Blitzen was studying Eithne with a wary eye. "What are you? An elf?"

She laughed her musical laugh. "I am a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann. What you call elves we consider part of the sidhe."

Magnus looked confused.

"S-I-D-H-E," I clarified. "Banshee is derived from it."

Percy looked less confused after that.

"She's technically a goddess."

Magnus and Alex had pained expressions when they looked at her.

"You two okay."

"Um, she sort of has this…light about her." Magnus sort of explained.

"Oh," Eithne said, looking slightly apologetic. "That's right. You're dead." She got quiet and frowned a bit.

Nico took two big steps away from them, looking concerned. "I wondered why you two felt off."

" _Solas agus Dorchadas, meascán agus meascán. Déan beagán dorcha do mo chairde marbh_." Eithne glowed green for a moment, then it faded.

Alex smirked. "Teach me."

Travis shook his head. "You'd be less impressed if you understood what she said."

Eithne shrugged. "I go with what works."

Her necklace suddenly glowed with red light.

She winced. "Crap." She pulled the charm off and tossed into the open floor space.

Faolan appeared, landing on his feet. " _Dáiríre? Cén fhad a bhí tú ag dul a choinneáil dom ann_?" I recognized the first part as being something like 'Seriously?' the second part was something along the lines of how long and something else that I really just didn't follow.

"English, Faolan."

He glared at her. "How am I supposed to protect you if you keep me trapped?"

"I'm not the one who got their soul bound to a wooden charm!" Eithne folded her arms, returning his glare.

"I wouldn't have been bound to a wooden charm if you hadn't insisted on defying your parents and getting us both banished!"

"You chose banishment with me, do not blame me for your own plight."

"You are the future queen of the Danann! Of course I chose to protect you! It is my duty!"

"Nobody asked you to protect me! I can take care of myself!"

I winced. This was not what was supposed to be happening. "Eithne, Faolan; either shut up or go outside." Crap, I was shaking.

Nico had noticed, and was glaring daggers at them.

Eithne calmly looked at Faolan.

He pointed toward the door. "This will continue. Now."

They headed for the door.

"Eithne, what happened to Aaron?"

"He had presentation to do today. Don't worry. He's fine for now. His trips to Tír na nÓg have been helping him."

Faolan dragged her out the door before she could continue.

Nico grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

"I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth.

"Okay." He didn't let go, gods bless him.

"Why don't we just go check out the rest of the place?" Annabeth suggested.

I nodded, trying to keep control. Of course this would happen now. Of freaking course. I didn't even know what triggered it.

They moved out, ushered by Annabeth.

Percy paused while the others went out. "I almost forgot, I have pictures of my little sister if you want to see."

I managed a little smile and a slight nod.

He got out his phone and pulled up a picture.

I smiled a little more. "She's adorable."

He grinned. "She is. Do I have to fill out a survey?"

I laughed a bit and almost started crying. "No. Definitely not after that."

"We should watch that movie." Nico squeezed my hand again.

"Wonder woman? Or Spider man?" Will asked as he appeared.

"Wonder Woman, I don't think we have Spider Man yet."

I shook my head.

Percy nodded. "Let's do it. Annabeth is going to be looking at the architecture of the place for probably twenty minutes. Then I think we were just planning on hanging out for a while. She doesn't get to see Magnus very often."

Nico gently pulled me into the living room and to the couch while Will got the movie into the DVD player.

We watched in relative silence, me trying not to have a full-blown panic attack, and the others making sure I didn't notice them noticing me having a panic attack.

Because that's what friends are for.


	3. Wild

**AN: I think someone asked me about whether or not Nico still has nightmares about Tartarus. Wouldn't you?**

We all finished the movie together, oddly quiet for such an odd group.

Eithne finally came back inside. "Cassie, a word."

I got up and went outside with her. "I heard you have a list of things needed to break the curse?"

She nodded, pulling it out of her bag and handing it to me. "We have to have this before New Years. But that isn't the only reason I'm here. I think you should come to Tír na nÓg. I think there are some things you can learn. Some things you can benefit from. I mean, have you even delved into the items your father gave you aside from the skeans?"

I frowned at the ground. "Not really. I looked through them all, but there were questions I had about some of the items that I never asked."

"You have them with you?"

I hesitated, then nodded. "On my belt upstairs. I always assumed that I would figure out their uses when the time was right."

"Let's go look," She said, gesturing toward the door.

We went inside, up to the girls room that I had set up and had been staying in.

I dumped the contents of the bag onto one of the other beds. Two fountain pens, one regular pen, all with caduceus on them. The dragon-scale appearing bracers. The deck of cards, six-pack of colored smoke bombs, a zippo lighter, a bag of coins, fake blood capsules, and a handcuff keychain. Wax and seal, with a compass rose design.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the bracers, picking them up and looking at them more closely. "This is beautiful craftsmanship!"

"But what is it?"

She grinned. "These are scales of Suileach, a dragon known for its size and its eyes. So many eyes. They're harder to kill, harder to find than the Dobhar-chú. Almost as hard to find as the bradán feasa!"

"Did you just say fish of wisdom?"

"Salmon, to be specific. Anyway, these bracers must date back to before I was even conceived. Vanquished by…" She smirked, the astonishment vanishing. "A trickster. The most common reply is some saint, it was about the time that the Catholics were destroying everything, so it's no surprise that's the sort of legend that persists. It was a trickster. It must have been your father."

I frowned. "What does that mean for me?"

"The Wonder Woman's gauntlets, the way they protect her? It is the same with these, but more so. When you put these on, the magic on these armors you completely. This is an incredible gift."

"Why did he give them to me? Why not someone who fights all the time? Like Travis, or Connor? Or to one of his other kids?"

"I don't know."

I sort of grunted and showed her the pens.

She grinned. "Do I really need to explain pens to you?"

"Just making sure. Is there any other magical thing here?"

She sort of looked over it all, then picked up the key-chain. "Magic handcuffs. You open them and they become real sized. One size fits all."

"Eithne, if these aren't older than you…" I picked the bracers back up.

She said something in Irish and I was pretty sure that I shouldn't repeat it from the way even she put her hand to her mouth in surprise. "That'd be bad."

"I gathered," I replied. "What would happen if these weren't old?"

She looked a little scared. "That would mean that things are more volatile than I first thought. I don't know, Cassandra. I'll have to look into it. That and a million other matters. My parents have turned a blind eye to the creatures of old stirring. I think that's why the veils between worlds has grown so thin, things are escaping and upsets in the other worlds are rippling to ours."

"Don't put me down for any quests."

She smiled and laughed. "An appropriate response. I should get going. Best not to leave Aaron to himself. He might lick something poisonous."

She was gone before I could even respond.

I stood there in a bit of shock for a moment, then repacked the bag and hooked the gauntlets and key-chain to the belt for easier access. Then I went back downstairs.

Nico raised a questioning eyebrow.

I just shrugged a bit.

"Hey, we were just saying it was about time to we headed back." Magnus saw me next.

"Yeah, you guys can just take my car. I think I need a nap. Or cat-scan," I told Annabeth and Percy.

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, go ahead. Gives you a little extra time with your cousin. Gives me time to sort out what the heck just happened."

Someone knocked on the door.

Travis went to it with his sword, peeping out. "It's Grover."

"Oh! The rejuvenating junk!" I darted to the basement while he let Grover in.

When I came back, they were joking about something and introducing Grover to Magnus and his gang.

Grover smiled at me. "Hey, the place looks great and you were right. You can't smell halfbloods, even while in here. And they were pretty good about not doing too much damage to the area. I still want to see this stuff, though. It could help our conservation and restoration efforts."

I nodded. "Of course, come on. We'll go out back."

They all followed me out, which was a little surprising and kind of nerve-wracking because if I messed up I had a bigger audience.

"Alright, let's hope I don't spill," I joked when we got to the spot that Allison had marked in the forest for this. Then I pulled the dropped out of the vial, and put one drop on the tree stump.

At first, nothing happened.

Then this shimmer of light emanated from that one drop and everything began to change rapidly. Species present started altering, the topography of the land, and the air seemed to become really refreshing. The water in the stream that crossed through in front of us started changing too. The waters became somewhat clear, and meandered a little more.

A tree fell and rapidly decayed to a point before stopping.

We slowly backed away just in case more trees fell.

Well, most of us did. Grover stood there, grinning.

Finally the changes seemed to stop.

He turned to me. "Where did they get such powerful magic? That's the magic of Pan!"

I frowned. "One of hte kids at Camp Northpoint…he just…found it, I guess. It's hard to say. He's a bit of an odd duck."

"He harnessed the power of Pan and all you have to say about him is that he's an odd duck?" Grover looked almost manic.

I shrugged.

"He is kind of odd." Nico stepped closer to me. "He doesn't remember things well, and he's got some sort of mental deal."

I elbowed him.

"What?" Nico rubbed his ribs.

I shook my head slightly.

He frowned at me.

Grover shook his head. "Either way, this is amazing. This is like, automatic restoration. Habitat, clean water, natural species…"

"G-man, you okay?"

"I'm fine!" He fainted.

I nodded. "Well, I'll take him at his word." I turned and headed back to the house to stash the bottle of wild magic into my bag. I understood why Allison was so protective of Peter now. He was the last of his kind. He was the last demigod son of Pan. That's why she called him Peter Pan. Because he was a lost boy, and now…

It made sense why should would give me complete updates on the projects, but not the others. She didn't want word of Peter getting out.

Nico caught up with me. "Cass, what just happened?"

"You know how you're always protecting me?"

"Yeah," He responded automatically.

"Allison protects Peter in the same way. Actually, more."

"Why? What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal with you being a child of Hades?"

"I'm not supposed to exist."

"But you do."

He didn't get it.

"Nico, why would Peter have the power of Pan?" I asked rhetorically.

He frowned for a moment, then his eyes widened as he connected the dots. "Are you sure?"

"Are you not?" I pulled on his arm to keep him moving and ahead of the others.

He scowled a moment at the ground. "No, now that you say it it makes perfect sense."

"Right? I mean, the wild behavior, the love of animals and nature…"

"Cass," He stopped me from continuing. "What if he's actually Peter Pan?"

I tilted my head. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, it was said that the story was about J. M. Barrie's neighbor boy, but what if Peter is actually the boy in the story. It would explain his memory, wouldn't it?"

"Sort of, but not really. The only thing I've read that could contribute to that is when a demigod is more god than human, usually because a god had a child with a demigod."

"Dang, where'd you read about that?"

"Grandpa Stoll lent me a book while I was still home-bound. It was in there. A record from…" I stopped.

"What?"

"It was a record from back around the time that Peter Pan was written. In London." I swallowed, my mouth had gone dry. "What if it was a record on him?"

"A god and a demigod? But…what about the way he speaks old English? And Irish?"

"Nico, we don't know how long he's been around or who the demi-god was. What they were. I could be completely off base. We don't know. Not really." I chewed my lip, then shook my head. "I've got to sit down. If I don't I might have a panic attack."

"Can feel one coming?"

"Oh yeah." I went inside and went straight to the living room to flop onto the couch.

He pulled me up a bit so he could sit. "Did you figure out what to do to support these properties in the future?"

"Well, I figured that since this generation of demigods is seeing more people reaching adulthood than before and since they are protected properties that maybe some demigods could actually run the places. Like Leo and Calypso are doing at the Way Station now."

"That would be cool," Nico frowned a bit, thinking about it. "I mean, they feel like homes as it is. And if you're furnishing them then that helps the demigod who might live there. Then they just have to clear out one room if they're married for their master. No, they won't, because there's already a queen sized bed in the biggest room. I mean, they might want to redecorate but still that's not a big deal. They'd be starting out with virtually brand new furniture."

I grinned up at him.

He blinked a couple times. "I've been hanging out with you way to much."

"I know," I replied, still grinning.

"Can I see your ideas for the loft in New York?"

I nodded and reached under the couch to grab my laptop. I'd been using a couple websites to gather ideas for it. "You know, it's weird, but it's almost like my mom had been collecting properties specifically so I could do this."

"I know, I mean, sure you purchased this piece of property, but all the others? How are we protecting the Loft again?"

"Allison said she knew how to do a different sort of protection spell that would work better for it. Like, warding." I shrugged and pulled up the website where I had compiled my ideas for the loft. It had a more industrial feel, with navy and bronze as the main colors. Obviously there were other colors. "I'm still not sure what else to do. So I only have basic ideas and furniture planned."

He looked it over. "Are those actual pictures of the loft?"

I nodded.

He was quiet. "Looks nice."

"What looks nice?" Annabeth asked, appearing with the others.

Percy and Magnus were carrying a still passed-out grover.

"Her preliminary plans for the decoration of the loft."

"Ooh, can I see?" Annabeth's face lit up.

I did my best to not hesitate before I nodded. "It's not much. Just a general idea and theme. Functional and yet fashionable, I guess you could say."

She looked it over, the others looking with her.

Magnus looked over at me. "You know, if you need pottery or something like that, Alex is great with clay."

Alex gave him a glare.

"I'll keep that in mind. I have a lot of safe zones I'm going to be working on. The Romans finally finished the place out in Cali and Reyna said she'd email me the pictures of the finished product so I could decorate for renters and of course their use. Plus the loft." I frowned, trying to think of where the other project coming up was located. "A guest cabin in Montana, house in New Mexico, we're doing something in Florida, and Indiana…I think…"

Magnus looked a little surprised. "How many of these are you doing?"

I shrugged. "Only a few to start with. See if they're actually useful or not. Most of the properties were things my mom had picked up for some reason or other. I'm just giving them a purpose."

"How old are you?" Blitzen asked.

"Sixteen."

Blitzen made a face like he didn't believe me.

"I'm sixteen!"

"You talk like an adult."

"I'm…sorry?"

"You're just very…"

"Driven," Annabeth suggested.

Blizten nodded sharply. "Precisely."

"Hey, what about your pets?" Percy asked, abruptly changing the topic.

I grinned. "Batman and Parker are already in New York. Jacob took them for me since we were coming here. Johnny watched them for a couple days before Jacob picked them up. Apparently Parker was a little difficult to find because she hid in the covers of Nico's bed. That cat worships the ground Nico walks on."

Nico grinned. "I know! Granted, Batman worships the ground everyone walks on."

"Well, he is part great dane. He's got a big heart."

"Just a big heart?" Travis asked sarcastically.

I tossed a pillow at him.

It had repercussions.

Within seconds everyone was throwing pillows at each other or collecting pillows and holding them hostage while Blitzen hid behind a chair and Hearthstone used runes to cheat.

Annabeth tried to strategize and got hit in the face.

Travis had stunned Nico, who had fallen back onto the couch.

Percy and Magnus were going at each other.

Alex, Travis and Annabeth were in a three way fight.

I was sneaking around grabbing pillows when they weren't looking and feeding them to Blitzen, who then gave them to Hearth.

Grover moaned something about food.

It was just a mess of laughter and surprise and weird.

Then I heard the distinct noise of something breaking.

Everyone froze, staring at each other.

I went and examined everything, then found the broken think. "Just the light bulb of a lamp. Avoid this area until the glass is cleaned up. Continue."

Travis went back into fighting with force a split second before Annabeth, managing to get the jump on her for once.

I went and tiny brush and dustpan thing, and swept up the glass, subtly sliding pillows to Blitzen who was now hoarding them, then got the hand-held vacuum and made sure there were no shards of glass left. Then I went about replacing the light bulb and putting breakables out of the fighting zone. Making notes of safer places. This was a great test!

Eventually, NIco and I joined Blitzen and Hearth and did a jointed attack which led to the victory of Travis over everyone. Which hadn't been the plan.

Percy was laughing. "I survive two wars, and I fail at a pillow fight."

Nico snorted. "I was thinking more along the lines of, I survived Tartarus and fell at the hands of a Hermes kid."

"That too," Annabeth groaned and got back to her feet.

MAgnus just looked generally amused. "Nice strategy, totally backfired on you, but it was a good try."

Alex was rubbing his (her?) ribs. "Whoa, is that the time?"

I glanced back at the clock and nodded. "Yeah."

"We need to get back," She said, getting up and grabbing Magnus to pull him up.

He nodded his agreement.

It took a few minutes to get everyone going back to their feet and out the door.

Once the door closed behind them, I looked at Travis and Nico, then around the room. "Where's Will?"

"Under the couch," Will said. "I think I fell asleep."

"Good thing it's clean."

Nico helped him out. "Dork."

"Brat," Will kissed him.

"And that is why I get the queen size bed." Travis tossed his last pillow at their heads.

Nico rolled his eyes.

I sat down on the couch again, hugging my knees. "That was fun, though."

"It was. It's going to be a good week." Travis sat next to me and kissed my forehead.


	4. Montauk

I glanced at Percy and Annabeth in the back seat, wrinkled my nose and glanced at Nico and Will in the middle seat and finally turned back toward the road.

"I think you just summed up where I am in the romance department." Travis rubbed his neck.

"It's not like I don't have a boyfriend. Why do they have so adorably perfect for each other? I will never have that."

"Never say never," He responded instantly.

"Eithne wants me to go to Tír na nÓg with her."

"What?" He jerked the steering wheel a bit when he glanced sharply at me, then hurried to correct it.

There were half-asleep sounds of protest in the back, but no one really seemed to wake up.

"She thinks there are things I would benefit from learning there."

"Isn't she banished?"

"As far as I knew. Maybe she can go into certain parts, or maybe her banishment just isn't monitored closely. I don't know. But she thinks I should go and learn some things. I think there might be more trouble in paradise than she's comfortable talking about outside of Tír na nÓg."

He nodded slowly. "But you would be safe?"

"I would assume so."

He didn't respond. "About ten minutes until we get there. It's kind of weird traveling with Annabeth and Percy. I'd never done it before now."

Got it, we were done talking about it. "Yeah? Me neither. I think they're just relieved that they've been able to travel without monsters attacking them."

"Yeah, plus Annabeth apparently forced Percy to take a plane to Massachusetts. He probably hadn't slept that off yet. Or he's just good at sleeping."

"Hey, at least he'll be well rested when we arrive."

Nico yawned. "How far?"

"About five minutes."

"Cool. Wake up, dork." He prodded Will.

I shook my head and stared out the window as long island passed by. "I'm starting to have mixed feelings about Thanksgiving."

"It'll be fine. You'll feel better once you've had some puppy-cuddles." Travis was teasing me a bit, trying to cheer me up.

I'd had this pit in my stomach since yesterday that I just couldn't shake. This sense of dread and impending trouble that just kept creeping closer and closer without me being able to discern what it was. It was annoying and frightening. It gave me chills.

"There it is."

I looked forward again, smiling. It looked nice in the snow.

Travis parked the car and called back in a loud voice, "We're here!"

I giggled as they groaned, and hopped out.

Batman came bounding out the front door with Jacob a ways behind him.

I waited until Batman sat before I greeted him and threw the nasty tennis ball for him.

Jacob hugged me. "Hey, Cassie-bear. How was your trip?'

"Quiet. The couples were snoozing in the backseat so I couldn't blare music."

"Bummer."

"Major."

"I've got homemade chicken noodle soup inside."

"I love you!" I whistled for Batman to bring the ball back.

"I know."

"Did I hear food?" Travis asked.

"Soup is in on the stove."

There were grateful sounds from all of the boys, but Nico was the one that managed to dart in behind me and get to the soup before me. He cheated. Sort of.

He grinned at me, then scooped some soup into his bowl. "I only woke up because I was hungry."

"Of course," I responded, grabbing a bowl and waiting. "It's almost one. Much later and we would have stopped an hour or so ago to get food."

He took his bowl to the dining table. "There you are," He said to the cat.

She purred and rubbed against his legs.

Batman came in with everyone, excited, and followed them all into the kitchen and around the kitchen, having to keep track of all of them before finally just following Travis over to the dining table and laying down behind me.

"Don't push your seat back."

"Yup, I saw." I glanced at Batman again and he wagged his tail. He always thought he was getting a treat just for existing. It was adorable, but I couldn't help but think he set himself up for disappointment. Then again, I usually set myself up for disappointment when I set a word goal for myself outside of the month long challenges provided by NaNoWriMo. Not that I was competing this year. THere was way too much going on. Especially since we were writing in class as well.

"So, Nico said that your story for your writing class is the best." Annabeth sat across from me.

"His is good too."

"Not nearly as good as yours." Nico pointed his spoon at me. "Everyone knows that you shouldn't be in that class until we get to the full-fledged editing section of this class."

"Oh please! It's not that good." I made a face. "There are three plot points that I've had to shove into it so that I can meet my ultimate goal, I realized that I have a character that does absolutely nothing for the plot and I'm going to have to cut her or give her purpose, and I don't actually have subgoals to my main goal. At this point, I'm writing by the seat of my pants. My next chapter is super crappy, and unless I can fix it, it's going to be turned in as a super crappy story."

"Really?"

"Do you want to read it?"

"Yes," He said forcefully.

I pulled out my tablet and opened up the most recent chapter, then put it in front of him.

He was quiet as he read it. "Wait…what?"

"Mmhmm, keep reading."

Another five minutes.

"No!" He cried out. "No! NO!"

I flinched back, feeling my eyes widen.

"Why would you do that?!" He looked devastated.

I shrugged a little. "Are you sure you read it right?"

"You're killing Hank?" He looked inconsolable.

I felt my eyes widen and I snatched my pad back. "No! You weren't supposed to read that! Crap! That's the wrong story."

Travis started cracking up.

"You're killing Hank!" Nico accused me, horrified.

"No! I was just writing because that's what I do!" I pulled up the proper scene he was supposed to read. "That was just me playing with ideas. There isn't a sequel to my book."

"That certainly read like the opening to one." Nico was still looking at me like I had just killed a puppy or kitten in front of him.

"It isn't," I insisted. "Really, I was doing a word war with the book club because they didn't know what a word war was and it's November."

"What is a word war?" PErcy asked.

"You set a time frame and then write as many words as you can in that time frame, trying to do more than the others participating. It's because of NaNoWriMo."

Even Annabeth looked concerned.

"National Novel Writing Month. It's a…writer thing…" I looked down at my bowl of soup. "Um, people challenge themselves to write fifty-thousand words in a month. Fifty-thousand words is about the average size of a novel."

"How big is that event?" Percy asked, looking slightly scared.

"It's huge. People around the world do it. Thousands of people. And people who donate to it support young writers programs in schools and across countries. My mom was going to do a pep-talk for them this year, but obviously she didn't get around to it so I donated money in her name." I grabbed the oyster crackers and poured some into my soup.

Jacob was shaking his head a bit. "Cassie, you take time to have fun, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

He shook his head dismissively. "Just making sure."

I shook my own head.

Will was quiet for a moment, then got a little smirk. "I still want to see Nico swing dance."

I grinned.

Nico turned a bit red. "No."

"Yes," Will looked at me and nodded. "She can teach me."

Nico shook his head, glancing at Percy and Annabeth.

Travis shook his head. "We both know that Cassie can get you to do it, especially with Will on her side."

I finished the last bite of my soup, pulling up my swing dancing playlist.

Annabeth looked interested. "Please Nico, I want to see. Maybe I can get Percy to learn."

Percy didn't look like he thought that was possible.

I went over and put my phone on the dock, turning on the music. Then I went over to Nico, and pulled him out of his chair.

"No, come on! It's embarrassing."

"You didn't think so before today. Well, the first day you did." I pulled him to the open floor.

"Fine. One dance," Nico agreed. "After that, I'm done."

I grinned.

Will whooped and went to get a better seat.

Travis skipped to a new song so that we had the whole song.

Nico took my hands and waited a moment to hear the beat, then we started the basic step. We had gotten pretty accustomed to each other's styles, and compensating for the fact that I was still taller than him.

We did the moves that we knew, and then one that neither of us was sure what happened.

Nico was laughing, but we kept going until the song ended.

Will was grinning. "That looks like so much fun."

"It is fun, though I'm not sure what that one move was supposed to be." Nico was smiling and looking embarrassed.

I hugged him, then went to turn off my music.

Annabeth smiled. "That did look fun. Percy?"

Percy shrugged a bit. "Looked a little complicated…"

"The basics of it are really simple if you have a good teacher. Which isn't me, by the way," I told them. "I'm a follow, and that's about it. I can show the moves, can't explain them."

Travis rolled his eyes and turned the music back on. "Annabeth," He said, offering her his hand. "Basic step for you is a triple step, triple step, rock step and back again. Yeah, like that." He kept teaching Annabeth how to swing dance.

Percy was watching carefully, then sort of tried the basic step and looked at me to see if it was right.

I nodded. "Keep loose, on your toes like when you sword fight."

He frowned a bit and tried that.

"Loose, relaxed, and on your toes," I repeated.

He relaxed his shoulders some.

We kept helping them learn the basics of swing dancing while Jacob read a book or watched.

Eventually we all wound down and were just talking about dancing and school.

I grabbed my tablet and started working and editing my scene for class.

"No doing school," Nico said, glaring at me.

I stuck my tongue out.

He was about to push farther, but the doorbell rang.

We quickly did rock-paper-scissors, then he groaned and went to answer the door.

I listened carefully until I recognized Hazel's voice—an interesting feat considering how little time I had spent around her—then Reyna and Frank.

Reyna was the first to come into the room, the other two were talking to Nico, and she grinned and waved to me and the others. "Hey, Piper and Jason aren't far behind. Thanks for letting us meet here, Cass."

"No problem. I figure it isn't that far from Camp, might as well treat the hard-working cabin leaders and praetors to a day out of camp. Besides, some people from camp were already coming here for Thanksgiving." I shrugged, then got up to hug her quickly.

"How is that project coming?" She looked interested.

"The first place was awesome. I mean, the TV alone, and the fridge…" Percy nodded. "I want that for my own home."

"Stoll!" Nico's yell was audible from the entryway.

Connor came in, chuckling. "Works every time." He and Travis hugged tightly, then he squeezed me in a tight hug that left it hard to breathe. "Hey, Cassie."

"Hey, Connor. I take it the other cabin leaders are here too?"

"Yeah, they're still gawking outside while Chiron tells them not to break anything and giving a lecture on not overextending the host's hospitality."

I nodded. "Well…"

Lou Ellen came in, looking around. "Dang, this place is nice. Can we have cabin leader meetings here all the time? Oh my…" She hurried to the back doors to look at the view.

Malcolm rolled his eyes, greeting Annabeth briefly and then coming over to hug me. "Hey, Cass."

"Hey, how are you?"

"Pretty good," He said, then kissed my forehead. "Happy to see you."

I smiled back. I did love those eyes. And he was always so sweet.

"Are you sure about letting them in here?" He nodded to the other cabin leaders that were filing in.

"Well," I responded. I didn't have a sentence to follow it.

Chiron rolled past them and nodded to me. "Ms. Dellaro, this really is a nice place. Thank you for offering your home to us as a treat."

"Of course," I dismissed it easily. "I thought it might be nice. A change of scenery."

He dipped his head again, letting the cabin leaders look around a bit.

I nodded to Malcolm that I was going to sit down again.

He glanced at the seating and quickly nodded, sitting with me.

Travis and Connor hurried to grab seats.

Nico grabbed the spot on my other side, with Hazel on his other side.

"You guys can grab the chairs from the dining table and the bar stools if you need a chair," I told the cabin leaders that were going to be seat-less in a few moments.

There was a mad dash to grab a seat after that.

Annabeth was pulling out a map that I guess Malcolm or someone else had brought her. She waited until everyone was at least quiet before she started. "So the first safe house is finished and functional." She put a sticker on the general area of Massachusetts that the safe house was in. "Grover said that he couldn't even smell half-bloods when he was right outside of the house. So whatever the magic is, it completely masks our scent. I don't know how long this works, but it should be enough for either a nature spirit to respond to your distress call, or for you to rest, restock, and get moving again."

"Um, isn't he mortal?" Miranda Gardner asked.

"Yes he is," Jacob said, not even looking up from his book. "He is the one who arranged the purchase of the property for the this safe house."

I nodded.

The half-bloods seemed to accept this relatively easily.

"Anyway," Annabeth said, glancing around. "Where's Leo?"

"I'm here, I'm here!" He came out from the bathroom. "What'd I miss?"

"The safe house is safe, and functional, Jacob is a mortal but he's a cool one, and Annabeth is about to ask you about the website," I filled him in.

He grinned. "I got it working this morning. I've done a bunch of tests. As long as you get to the site quickly, the monsters won't be able to pin-point you. I've got the location of the first place put in, plus directions to the three camps."

I nodded. "And we've already printed a special page with the website address and the GPS coordinates of the three camps. Eric is writing them into his books when he gets the chance. Actually, he has a stamp that he's been using."

"A stamp? Where'd he get a stamp?"

"I guess someone made it for him because he was getting tired of writing it in."

"Alright," Chiron said, bringing everyone's focus back to the matter. "What about the page for information on monsters?"

"I'm working on the coding for it, I just need content," Leo replied. He was oddly calm today. Maybe because he was away from Calypso.

Piper pursed her lips. "Is there a number for camp too?"

"Yeah, I have that with Camp's information. I was also thinking of saying that if they find trouble in Such and Such town that the Way station is there, but I don't know that it's a good idea to advertise the Way station. It's not like the safe houses."

"What about weapons? What are we doing on that front?" Sherman asked, folding his arms and glaring at the world.

"The backpacks in the safe house all have either celestial bronze or imperial gold knives, nothing big, but enough to at least kill a monster. We don't have the resources to provide real weapons for every half blood that passes through these places, and it's not practical to assume that if we put a few swords, spears, or other such weapons in the place that a half blood would know how to use them or that it would be the right weapon for them to use. Until we have better resources, we'll have to stick to the small knives."

Annabeth nodded. "A knife can be just as effective as a sword. We can take care of their weapon needs when they actually come to camp, any of the camps. The hope with these safe houses is that half bloods can go from safe house to safe house until they can safely reach one of the camps, or can be safely escorted to one of the camps. How many times did we all wish there was a safe place to sleep? A place safe from monsters, even for a night. A place with food. Most runaways are kids with no idea how to find food other than to steal it or try to pay for it without money. These safe houses are to alleviate the harsh conditions we've all had to endure as half bloods, not to ameliorate them."

There were a few thoughtful nods.

"Okay, here's a question," Jacob started, getting up and coming over to lean against the couch. "And pardon me if it's a dumb question, but where do you get said resources to make said weapons?"

Chiron looked thoughtful. "Sometimes we can find old hoards of weapons, other times we are able to locate pockets of the metals. It's not as it once was, that's certain."

"Huh, okay." He sat back down, pulling out his laptop to work apparently.

I fought back a smile and leaned against Malcolm.

He put an arm around my shoulders. "What about the next construction?"

"The next construction is not planned yet. We're still trying to decide what locations are the most useful at the moment. Focusing on areas near major cities and trying to decide what is a reasonable distance so that we can set up this network. I have plans for a place in Manhattan, a place in New Mexico, Florida and Indiana. I'm still looking over my options for Texas, Montana, and a few others. The California place is technically safe for half-bloods as well, it's just not classified as a safe house because I do rent it out." I played with my hair, staring at the map.

"That's a lot of safe houses," Jason said, studying me. "Are you sure you'll be able to take care of them all?"

"It's really not that many, and the work on them is staggered. I've already budgeted for the ones that are set to happen. Thinking of, Nico, Will, don't let me forget to pay you. You too Travis."

"Oh honey, I don't forget money," Travis said, smirking a bit.

"You pay people to help?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, need a job over Christmas break? That's when I'll be doing the Manhattan project."

Percy nodded. "I should be home to visit my family."

"Awesome," I replied.

"You're not worried that we're overlooking something?" Miranda asked. "What if the borders only last a couple years?"

"Then we'll renew them. Look, I've been planning these things with Reyna, Malcolm, and a bunch of others for months now. If something goes wrong with the first one, then it will go wrong quickly, or the problem should only be minuscule, easily fixed. Annabeth was consulted on the structural aspects. Grover on the natural. And there's a whole group at Camp Northpoint who are very skilled in magic. There could very well be something that was overlooked. But we've done our best, which is all we can do."

Some of them looked like they were still with Miranda, that this wasn't a good idea.

"Guys, come on. We all know that being out there is dangerous. Monsters can find us. We have more tools to try and make better lives for ourselves than ever before. Cassie, tell them about your idea for keeping up these houses," Nico told me.

I hesitated. "Well, I was thinking that they could also function as homes for demigods. As adults, I mean. Why waste a space? It's already going to be mostly paid for, they'll already be furnished. It would just mean opening your house to some demigods on their way to camps every once in a while. You'd still be safe, and others would still be safe, and you could try to live normal lives outside of a camp. No offense to New Rome, it's just…sometimes you need more. More space, more freedom. It's just a vague idea. I haven't fleshed it out completely."

Sherman was glaring at me in a semi-interested way. "We'd just pay some sort of small rental fee if we were living there?"

I shrugged. "Maybe? I don't know."

His glare eased up. "So then, let's say Will were to stay at the safe house while he attended Harvard."

"Bit of a commute, but go on."

"Would you make him pay some sort of rent?"

I made a face. "Probably not. College is expensive. I don't know, Sherman. I think I would say that College students could stay free and newly married couples have six months to get on their feet. It's not like I would have anyone pay a huge chunk of money. It would just be to sort of help pay for the property. Life is tough and I don't want to make it more so."

Sherman nodded. "I approve."

I figured that was as close to a compliment as I was going to get, so I accepted it.

Chiron was watching all of us, a strange sort of hopeful light in his eyes. I wondered if he was considering the impact this would have on the survival rates of half bloods.

I hoped there was a significant one.


	5. Pre-Pre-Pre-Thanksgiving

Leo groaned happily. "Pre- pre- pre- thanksgiving with my peeps! So good."

"It was just pizza. Why are you acting like it was the best meal ever?" Piper picked at him.

I smiled and kept writing. It was kind of nice having the background noise of all of the people.

The campers were taking turns tossing the duck toy for Batman (his name was a big source of amusement among them) and just generally relaxing. Enjoying what time they had away from camp.

Connor would make faces at me whenever I looked up from writing.

Jacob had disappeared to his room.

Nico was curled up next to Will.

The Seven were all huddled together, talking and joking.

Reyna was talking over an idea with Chiron and Malcolm, with Travis commenting now and then. Maybe going over optimal sites so I wouldn't have to.

I glanced up and saw Jason coming over, so I sat up a bit. "Hey."

"Hey," He responded, sitting across from me.

"How's your year going?"

He smiled. "Really well, Pipes and I have been going to school together. It's great."

"That's great."

He looked at me, hesitating momentarily, then took a deep breath. "How did you end up heading this project?"

"I'm not, not really. It's just such a collaborative project that someone needs to be the spokesperson for it. Which I kind of volunteered to be, since I'm the strongest link that Camp Half-Blood and New Rome have to Camp Northpoint. And it's been kind of therapeutic for me."

He nodded a bit. "Right."

"That wasn't what you really wanted to ask," I said, studying him quickly. "Seriously, Jason. You can ask me anything."

"I'm just… I'm wondering why you are the spokesperson for Camp Northpoint."

I waited, feeling like there was more to the question, but when he didn't say anything more and looked unsure of how to continue, I shrugged slightly. "Because I'm connected to the world that Camp Northpoint stands guard to. They carefully mingle the two, and I'm part of both. And I can keep a secret, which is needed for a place like that. They're a safe place for everyone. The cursed, the outcast, the ones that are far too young to be at either of the other camps." I set aside my notebook. "I value privacy, but I also know how to discretely convey information. How to communicate without endangering either party. It's kind of my specialty. Which you already know."

He gave a bit of a sheepish look, but it was guarded with so many people around.

I glanced past him at his friends, noting the worried glance Piper gave our way. "What's wrong, Jason?"

He pushed up his glasses. "I don't know how to talk to Piper about our future. Every time it comes up it's like we both change the subject."

"What do you want for your future?" I asked. Finally, the point of the conversation.

He shrugged. "I want to be with her."

"But what do you want to be beside Pontifex? Or is that your life's work?"

He gave a dry laugh. "I think I'll die of old age before I ever finish."

"Okay, what about college?"

He frowned a bit and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even know what I would get a degree in."

I waved it away. "Half of the people in college don't know either. What is it you think she wants?"

"I know she wants us to be together," He responded, then shrugged to say that that was all.

I took a deep breath and huffed it out. "Piper, get over here. Now."

Everyone did that stupid thing that students do when one of their peers gets called to the principal's office.

Piper came over, actually looking kind of nervous. "Yes?"

"Jason needs to talk to you about your future, you need to talk to Jason about your future, specifically your future together, including but not limited to college, after college, alternatives to college, and so on. Okay?" I stood up and sat her in my spot, then gestured between them. "Talk." I walked away.

They were both blushing a bit.

I shook my head and dropped in the first empty seat I came across, which happened to be between Reyna and Annabeth. "Why is this my life?"

Reyna just started laughing.

Leo looked mischievous. "What are they in trouble for?"

"Not talking to each other about important stuff, but apparently consulting me is totally easy."

Chiron looked like he was laughing. "Last summer had the least amount of counseling I've done in centuries. So you must be doing something right."

I laughed a bit.

Chiron turned his attention to Travis. "I think you were right. She would be a good candidate."

Travis nodded.

I felt my guard go up.

Everyone had heard that statement.

"A good candidate for what?"

Chiron looked around at all the curious faces, resting on Annabeth and Percy finally. "I'm going to retire. I meant to do it before the giant war. It'll be another year or so, but Travis will be taking over initially with the help of one or two others and Ms. Dellaro is a prime candidate for one of the positions my retirement would create."

It was so quiet we could hear the ocean.

"You're retiring?" Annabeth's eyes were wide.

"I am old, and tired. You all have proved that you are more than capable of incredible things and I was only a small part of that. I'm ready to rest." His voice was gentle.

"Me?" I shook my head. "I'm not even like the rest of the demigods in this room. I've never struggled with monsters, I've never been on the streets, I'm not even that good of a fighter. Why would I even be a candidate for helping replace you?"

Chiron just smiled gently at me.

"Because you're already doing some of his work," Percy said, which was kind of surprising. He looked troubled, but he also looked focused and determined. "And you're already playing liaison between camps, you're doing a lot of what he does on a daily basis. You're organized, but you're also able to go with the chaos."

Annabeth nodded, looking dazed.

"And you wouldn't have to be a leader," Travis said, getting up. "That's going to be my job, apparently. You'd be a counselor. You'd be helping the campers, and dealing with the issues that occur between them. There's more to it, but it's nothing you can't handle. And you have time to prepare for it. It's going to take a while for the switch to be made. We're doing a sort of practice run this summer provided the council signs off on it. I didn't think we'd be talking about it with everyone so soon, though."

Chiron nodded a bit.

Connor was awfully quiet, keeping his gaze on the floor.

"You two were thinking of me for this job ever since my second week at camp," I said, looking between the brothers.

Connor winced, not even looking up or attempting to lie.

I remembered the way he had looked at me around that time. The conversation I had seen him and Travis having with Allison…

"Oh my God," I kept looking back and forth between them.

"Well, at least she isn't mad," Connor said in a nervous voice.

My head snapped toward him. "You wanna bet on that?"

"No."

"That's good." I went over and grabbed his arm. "You two. Outside. Now. We're gonna talk."

"Nico, tell our grandfather—"

"Now," I ordered, actually yelling a little more than I expected.

Travis hurried to catch up.

I led them outside and closed the door. "Why the hell would you do this? What could possible have made both of you think that this would be a good idea? I mean, you even told Allison that I might be part of the leadership of camp."

Travis looked surprised. "How did you—"

"You two were talking with her and Connor's poker face was off it's game this summer." I folded my arms.

"I don't think I've ever seen you mad." Connor looked nervous.

"You said no secrets." I was almost glaring at Travis.

He winced. "I know, I'm sorry."

"And you?"

"They made me swear on the River Styx." Connor looked apologetic.

I rubbed my temples then covered my face, struggling to stay calm.

Batman barked pitifully and scratched at the door.

Connor didn't bother asking, just let the dog out while tried to calm down.

Batman came and nudged my hand, then sat right next to me, pressing his body against my leg—his usually signal that I was about to have, or having an anxiety attack.

"Is this because you don't like surprises?" Connor ventured.

Travis whacked his head from behind, then placed both hands on my shoulders. "Look, Cass, I would have told you when it was time. You care about people. I'm going to need that. Chiron was already talking to me about possibly taking his job before Percy went missing, before Jason appeared and the whole Roman and Greek battling the earth deal. After it was over, we said that camp needed time to recover and I wanted to get my degree. When you came and you befriended Nico in a matter of…days? Yeah, Connor told me and we knew that you would be a good candidate for helping the campers in a sort of counselor capacity. Then you were deemed the Keeper of Secrets. You earned the respect of just about everyone in that camp without going on a big quest, or being a powerful fighter. So yeah, you are a prime candidate to help me. Our conversation with Allison was about what she thought of you in a position like that."

I remembered that she was able to see bits of the future, part of her curse, and wondered what her response was. But I was focusing on keeping my breathing normal.

"She said it would explain a few things about your future. Whatever that means," Connor said, frowning at the deck. "She said that you're a shelterer, a confidant, a mainstay, and…"

"An innovator," Travis finished. "Things have been changing for a while now, and you're looking to be a part of that change, to make changes for our kind. That's why you're a candidate. And I'm not going to apologize for it. I know it surprised you in there, and I'm sorry about that. I know you hate surprises. I would have talked with you before we started making serious changes. Frankly we weren't even supposed to tell all of them until after the council had approved the summer trial, which is on the docket for the winter solstice."

I covered my face again. "This is a bad idea."

"Maybe."

"I'm still mad."

"Okay."

Connor wrapped his arms around my head.

I sighed and leaned against him.

Travis caught hold of my hand and kissed it. "Come on. It's cold out here."

"How did you get caught up in this?" I asked Travis, slowly trying to extricate myself from Connor's grasp.

Travis looked out over the ocean. "I volunteered. I knew Chiron was planning to retire and I was looking at my future and…I didn't know that I wanted. Being a cabin leader had been the only thing that felt normal. I didn't feel like there was something else out there and there was so much damage still being repaired from the first war. It was all well and good for the main heroes. They didn't have to deal with the campers and their trauma. I was dealing with it. I had a purpose. I was serving that purpose. Even if I had to look like an idiot to do it."

"They're about to try listening in," Connor said after his gaze flitted toward the house.

"So we kill them?" I asked Travis.

"Yeah, we already started, right? I mean, you remembered to poison the pizza?"

"Baneberry, lethal in small doses."

"Perfect," Connor said with a grin. "Tell me their deaths will be entertaining?"

"We can make it even more entertaining. I mean, you can expect some interesting deaths as it is, but we could always spike the soda."

Connor rubbed his hands together. "Awesome, I didn't get to shove anyone into the lava this summer. Or lose them in the woods. Or accidentally maim them."

"The stronger ones might have less of a reaction, the girls too since they'll have consumed less."

"Cassie can take Reyna, she has no reason to suspect her. I'll handle Annabeth."

"No way, I'm not dealing with Piper. We'll probably have to tag team those three. Even poisoned they can kick our behinds." Connor folded his arms. "We'll keep Nico alive, and Will. So you better go give them an antidote."

"Right, you two get the weapons. Remember, we go in casually. Nothing is wrong." I told them. "Also, make sure the kitten doesn't get squished and the dog doesn't get hurt."

"Of course, can't have that happen." Connor ran a hand through his curly mess of hair. "Then I have a call date."

"Oh?" I bounced my eyebrows.

He grinned, and we went back in. "Yeah, not as good as in person, but still a real good thing."

"Who's the girl?" I asked.

"Or is it a girl?" Travis teased.

Connor rolled his eyes. "You know it is."

"Hey, it was a little rocky there for a couple years."

"Oh shut up." Connor shoved his brother. "You're the one who hasn't dated in forever."

"Right, which is why Sara and I were never an item."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa—hot Sara? From the Athena cabin?" Will asked, his head popping up. "Damn dude!"

"Excuse me? First off, isn't hot Sara a little offensive? Second, boyfriend." Nico pointed at himself, glaring at Will.

"No, she actually liked that she was called hot Sara instead of something dorky." Annabeth shrugged. "I didn't know you two dated."

"I know. She didn't want people to know. And then she died. So…we never really got going." Travis dropped into a chair.

Some of them were giving us wary looks.

"Hang on, were you the one she was dating when the war came?" Annabeth asked, suddenly looking extremely interested.

"Drop it," Travis suddenly said, getting a warning look.

She smirked and sat back in her seat.

Travis wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "When do you have to get back to camp?" He asked Chiron.

"We should get going." Chiron looked around at the campers.

They started gathering, still casting nervous looks at us.

I smiled at them. "Have fun, guys. Oh, and happy Thanksgiving."

They just looked concerned.

Malcolm came over and pulled me protectively from Travis and held me in his arms. Bold enough to actually kiss me twice before just hugging me. "This is going to be my first thanksgiving in a long time spent outside of camp."

"Yeah?"

"Hey," Travis got our attention. "We're watching you," He told Malcolm, smiling in a threatening manner.

Malcolm nodded slowly, glancing around the room and seeing Nico, Will, Connor, and Jacob were all nodding agreement with Travis. Reyna was examining her dagger, and she smiled at Malcolm.

We put a little space between us. For safety reasons.

I looked up at him. Maybe my doubts were just because we had been apart for a while. I mean, it was easy to make things work when we saw each other a lot. Now that he was getting ready for college and I was at my own school, it was only natural that our lives kept us from seeing each other as much. I wasn't expecting forever, that wouldn't be realistic. But I still wanted him in my life. At least for now.

He smiled at me. "Penny for your thoughts."

I bit my lip.

"And now you have that song stuck in your head."

I nodded.

He grinned and kissed my forehead. "Seriously, what's up?"

I shrugged a little. "Just, contemplating some stuff and I figured looking at you was better than accidentally staring at, like, Percy or something."

He chuckled and kissed my cheek. "How are you? Really?"

"Tired. Ready to withdraw and recharge. I'm coping, pretty well actually. My shrink thinks that I'm an abnormal case, or that I am suppressing my true reaction to events and that in the long run it will have adverse reactions in my life. It's great having someone analyze your thoughts, you know?"

He made a sympathetic face.

I studied him a moment. "Let's see it, then."

He pulled out the pocket planner and handed it over to me.

I looked over the dates, smiling a bit. "You're doing really well."

He nodded a little. "I am. Uh, it helps having people to kind of go to when I…can't feel. Or people I can call. Or look at a picture of."

I smiled, then went up on my tiptoes and kissed him.

He smiled at me. "You know you have a problem, right?"

"Do I?"

"Yeah, you're drawn to people who need healing. You're Will."

I laughed. "Hardly."

"You are! You see people hurting, and you want to help them in whatever way it is they need. He does mostly physical and you mostly do emotional and mental. Why aren't you going into that kind of field again?"

"Because I'd kill someone, probably myself. Out of boredom. Don't get me wrong, it's fascinating the way our brains work but professionally helping people in that capacity is just…boring. Sitting in a chair and making notes on people's health. I'd rather be planning a children's home."

We both stared at each other.

He started smiling, as he watched me think about that idea. "You're freaking philanthropist."

I winced a bit. "I know…"

"You're going to make a great philanthropist." He grinned at me, teasing only a little. Then he kissed me.

I smiled up at him after all. "I really want to plan a children's home now."

He laughed. "Come on, I'll help you start planning. Just promise you won't undertake until after you finish the safe house project."

"Promise." I curled in his chest. I was really ready for that alone time, but I knew how little time I would get to spend with him until Christmas.

* * *

 **AN: Hey y'all, what are your thoughts on an appearance from the Winchesters from Supernatural? I'm about five parts ahead, so it would be a while before you got it, but I would like to hear if you think it would be cool or if I should just leave it. Also, just thoughts in general. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.**


	6. Giving Thanks

**AN: Hey guys, so I'm way ahead in writing, so you're going to get two or three chapters today. Also, if there are parts that don't seem to make sense, please let me know. A lot of these were written during NaNoWriMo and word wards and I did my best to take out confusing parts and elaborate on certain things, but I may have missed things. Also, I never said when Cassie's birthday was because I never decided and I did in the part that I'm working on. So her birthday is December 3rd! Which means I'm going to be posting more than usual as a gift to you guys as well. Hopefully getting up to her birthday in my writing. You're at least going to see some...supernatural things. Squaw- If I die young.**

* * *

Thanksgiving day started out quietly. I woke up and turned on the TV, really quietly so that I didn't wake Reyna or Hazel, who were sharing the king-sized bed with me. Alice, my half-sister, was asleep in one chair.

I watched silently as Scooby and the Gang tried to find the monster.

Batman slowly climbed up so that he could lick my hand and beg to come all the way up.

I snapped as I pointed away from the bed.

He backed off the bed and sat beside it with his head resting on it, tail still wagging.

I scratched behind his ears. "Good boy."

I turned off the television after about ten minutes and slipped out of bed. I made sure Reyna was covered, then slipped out of the room and down to the bathroom to make sure I didn't look absolutely terrible then down to the kitchen.

Jacob was up. "Hey. You're up early for having had such a late night."

I shrugged and hugged him. "Turkey in?"

"Yup, it should be good. Happy Thanksgiving." He smoothed some of my hair back and tucked it behind my ear. "I know you don't want to talk about work."

"But?"

"There's a teen empowerment conference this Saturday and they want you to speak at it. The woman running it wants to speak with you beforehand."

"You said yes without asking me?"

"You promised that you would do one more even this year outside of your book release and your mother's book release."

I scrunched up my nose. "Why do you have to remember these things?"

He smiled. "Cassie, you've been through a lot and shown yourself to be strong, you've shown yourself to be someone driven to make a difference, regardless of your age and what others say. Everything posted about you lately has been very positive and your tweets read as motivational. Why are you always writing such deep thoughts on Twitter?"

"What deep thoughts?" I asked, taking the plate of chocolate chip pancakes from him and going to sit on a barstool.

Jacob pulled out his phone and cleared his throat. "'Excited to spend time with the family I've made this year' which got a bunch of amazing press."

"That's not deep," I argued.

"You made a family. That alone made a huge impact. Then an article was released about your case, and the fact that you made a huge donation to a bunch of charities, including ones that help people who went through similar things. Your comment when someone shared it with you was 'I made those donations in my mom's name, also, now boycotting news source because of how downplayed the case subject was' then also tweeted, 'Some issues are too important to downplay' and shared an article about rape statistics. Your picture of your dog and kitten with hashtags about how much you love your pets and that people should adopt pets from shelters."

I shrugged. "Little things."

"When someone asked you about having your book published at such a young age, you responded, 'Anyone can get their book published, I saw the talent of a bunch of writers this summer with the competition and we're working on a surprise for those writers' which was partially a good hint to the work you started of the publishing company we're starting and the fact that you want to do writing workshops next summer, starting with the first one you're doing over spring break."

I shrugged. "That's not exactly a big deal."

Jacob looked at me, then shook his head. "Kid, you've got issues and they're not exactly bad. There are about twenty other things that I could use for examples. Anyway, you're doing a teen empowerment conference because you were a popular request from the teens that were polled. You meet with Theresa Briggs tomorrow to talk about the event and to figure out what they expect from you and what you're okay to do. Alright?"

I took a deep breath. "Theresa Briggs, Teen Empowerment Event, Speech. Got it. No more work."

He nodded.

I dug into my pancakes.

Everyone was finally up around ten, and we were playing Apples to Apples while we waited for Jacob to deem the Turkey done and my mashed potatoes were done. Plus we had apple pie, and other snack things that we could eat. It was a little bit of a hesitant Thanksgiving since we weren't entirely sure what we wanted, so we had said that we would just do some traditional stuff like the turkey, ham, apple pie, and mashed potatoes and then figure out what else we would want to do.

Hazel ended up in the kitchen with Malcolm and Jacob, trying to figure out how to make beignets, and I'd made Challa Bread last night.

Will was losing because he was distracted looking at recipes, and he was talking about making bacon, cheese and onion pinwheels.

I shrugged, looking at Travis, Connor, Nico, and Frank. "I think Will's done playing."

Travis nodded and slipped Will's green cards away, spreading them to each of us. "Will, you've been voted off the island. You are the weakest link. Goodbye."

Will looked up. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Go make your pinwheels. They're better when they're cooled anyway. We should have everything you need."

He nodded and meandered into the kitchen with Nico's school tablet.

We kept playing our game until Frank bowed out to throw the ball for Batman outside.

Nico was starting to fall behind in his green cards as the battle between me and the boys grew more heated. It was literally a battle to see who knew the others better. I pretty much always got Nico's, and I was pretty good at Travis and Connor as well. Now those two were trying to tag team, without cheating because they knew I'd kick their butts.

Finally, Nico shook his head. "Okay, whoever has the most cards right now wins."

We started counting while Nico kept shaking his head.

I had one less than Connor, which meant a lot of jeering and triumphant laughing.

Nico rolled his eyes then elbowed Connor and nodded toward the back deck. "Spar me?"

"Sure."

They went to grab their coats and gear to spar outside.

I looked across at Travis. I wanted to say that it didn't feel like Thanksgiving.

He seemed to understand that I was kind of conflicted, because he got up and pulled me away from everyone else, to the other sitting room. "It's not the same, I know."

I nodded a little, sitting down. "Don't get me wrong, I like that we're doing this with friends and making our own traditions. But I miss my mom, and I don't feel like it's Thanksgiving. It's just another day. Which doesn't exactly make me excited for Christmas."

"We'll have a more intimate Christmas. You, me, Connor, Will and Nico. My Grandpa might crash as well."

I smiled. "I think I'd like having him there."

He smiled gently, putting an arm around my shoulders. "We should turn on the fireplace. Give this place a cozier feel. Turn down the heat, so we can wear sweaters and stuff. Maybe turn on some music or something that's more holiday like."

I shrugged. "I don't want to push them into something they don't want."

"You and your care for people, stop it. It's a big house. If they don't like it they can hang out somewhere else. Or we can turn the fireplace on in here and the heat down. Make our own cozy corner."

I thought about it. It was appealing. I loved curling up in front of a fire and watching a movie or reading with blankets and sweaters. It was one of the things I used to do with Mom. We always watched the six hour version of Pride and prejudice, quoting the movie. I wouldn't subject Travis to that, but the fire and blankets and movie was something.

He smiled at me. "Yeah, you like that. You go check on the food and everything and I'll get things set up in here."

I nodded slowly and went to go see how they were doing with the beignets and Will's pinwheels.

Nico was already back inside, Will cleaning a nasty scrape on his elbow.

I glanced at Connor, who looked apologetic.

"He tripped. Ripped his coat and everything," Connor explained, nodding toward the destroyed coat.

I frowned at it for a moment. "We'll get him a new one. I'd try to patch the elbows, but the type of coat that is would make it really difficult. It'd be different if it wasn't winter coat, but it is. I'll find someone who repairs coats like this and get it fixed, donate it to a shelter." The last part was so that Nico didn't think I would waste the coat so he wouldn't protest. "It's not like I can't afford it. I have some other coats that can be donated as well." Clothes…what if we started a second-hand clothing place for halfbloods? When clothes are outgrown they get donated, and then when kids come to camp with just the clothes on their backs they can get more from the storage. We could also use that for the safehouses instead of buying new clothes for all of them. Plus coats would be helpful in those as well.

"Cassie, you have that far off 'I've just had an idea' look that you get whenever you think of another way to help out halfbloods," Connor said as he waved his hand in front of my face. "Do us a favor and don't make us feel like even bigger heathens for not being as charitable as you."

I smiled. "So don't share?"

"Not today," He kissed my forehead. "Just write it down and make us feel like we're awful people later, okay?"

I nodded. I could also work with Magnus, Blitzen, Alex and them to provide some clothes for the kids that might pass through their place.

Nico gave me a questioning look. "He's gone. What were you thinking?"

"Clothing stuff. It was partially because of the coat, and partially something I think I said to Reyna earlier this summer."

"So we're back to clothes. Dang Cassie, you really…" Reyna didn't finish. I don't think she knew how to finish.

"Think too much? Yeah, I know."

Frank came back in with Batman. "Dang this dog is awesome. You guys are getting him certified as an aid dog?"

"For my anxiety, yeah. He's already certified. His vest is in on the coat rack."

"Nice."

"Yeah, it meant he got to stay up in the plane with us which meant he didn't need to be in a crate the whole flight. He does well on the plane, by the way." Jacob's apron was covered in powdered sugar.

Reyna gestured toward him and mouthed that he was cool.

I smiled. "Awesome, that might be useful later."

"When you talk to Theresa you should see if having Batman there would be okay. It'll be good for him, keep him in practice and help you."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Now no more work."

"Sorry," He apologized then backed away from the plate. "That looks like a beignet. Hazel, your judgement?"

She was smiling. "I think we might have gotten it. We won't know until we try it."

They waited while she tasted it, looking hopeful.

She nodded. "I think we've figured it out. More powdered sugar, but otherwise we've got it."

They high-fived and continued in earnest.

I smiled.

Will finished taking care of Nico's scrape and then washed his hands so he could continue chopping bacon.

I watched all of them interact, waiting to see what would come of it. Was I supposed to tell them what Travis was setting up? Or Should I keep my mouth shut?

Travis came out. "Hey, what movie do you normally watch?"

I shrugged. "Pride and Prejudice, but I don't want to submit you to that torture."

"The one with Colin Firth or the one with Keira."

"Colin."

"Awesome, you have it here?"

"No, but it's on Amazon…Travis, really, we don't need to watch Pride and Prejudice."

"We are watching Pride and Prejudice," Travis said, looking amused. "I've got some good memories with that movie."

"Girlfriend?"

"Mom," He corrected, killing my teasing comment like our Thanksgiving turkey. "She would watch it on days when it was nasty outside, and we weren't feeling good. She'd wrap us in a blanket and let us sit with her while she knitted and that movie played."

I nodded slowly.

He nudged me. "Guys, we're watching Pride and Prejudice in the other sitting room in about fifteen minutes. Heat is turned down, fire is in the fire place, and it's blanket and sweater temperature in there and there will be no complaints about the show."

I hugged him. "I'm going to grab the fluffy blanket and put it in there."

"Wait a bit. I've got a window open for a bit to cool it off." He rubbed my bad arm, a habit he had picked up recently. It usually helped because it helped blood flow or something.

Nico shrugged. "Cassie said I should see that anyway. Will?"

"Sounds like an opportunity to cuddle. I'm in. What's Pride and Prejudice?"

"Classic literature turned movie, well, episodes. It's based in the regency period," I explained a bit. "I consider it a classic love story."

"And we're watching it on Thanksgiving?" Frank asked, looking a little concerned or maybe confused.

"So you can be thankful when it's over," Travis told him, clapping him on back and grabbing a soda from the fridge. He then disappeared back to the sitting room.

I putzed about, talking with Will about the recipe quickly, then went to grab my blanket and go to the room.

Travis and Connor were messing around in there, moving the furniture and setting up some sort of decorations that they had found. It smelled like apple-cinnamin in there, and the fire was crackling in the fireplace. There was a nice little chill in the air, perfect for curling up under blankets.

I looked at the pumpkins and squashes, and the cornucopia that they had found and were decorating the room with, trying to figure out where they had found them.

Connor looked up and grinned at me. "What do you think?"

I saw that there were some apple-cinnamin candles were burning on the side tables, explaining the smell. "Where did you get the decorations?"

"Box in the closet," Travis said. He was arranging the corn and squashes in the cornucopia. "We thought this might make it feel more like a holiday."

I grinned at them. "You guys!" I hugged them both at once, squeezing them tightly.

They hugged me back, both kissing one of my cheeks.

Jacob poked his head in. "All the food is done. Ready to eat?"

I nodded, releasing the boys.

"Always," Connor responded, heading right toward the door.

I made sure my blanket was covering at least two spots on the couch.

Travis nudged me. "That's for me, right?"

I nodded.

He smiled, then gestured for me to lead the way.

I already felt a little better, my heart a little lighter. Sure, the day was still young, but it was looking a little more promising now.


	7. The Loft

I sat down at the table with her. "I'm not entirely familiar with speaking in public. I mean, I took a speech class when I was part of a co-op at the community college in by my hometown. And obviously I gave that speech back in June. Other than that, I have no public speaking experience. You really want me to speak at a teen empowerment conference when I'm still a teen?"

"You're a teen that has the opportunity to make a humongous impact, and who, from what I understand talking to Jacob, has a big drive for making a difference. Not to mention what you went through earlier this fall and the fact that you seem to be coping well from it."

"Seem to be," I repeated, looking down at the table. "I'm extremely fortunate and not the norm. You're right, I do have a lot of ideas, but a lot of them are very specific to who I am and what I see. Getting my book published was something that my mom facilitated, yes I had it written before, but I was a long way from being ready for my writing to be out there. Then again, if it hadn't been that way I may never have been ready. I was surprised when Jacob said I was a choice made by teens."

"You represent your mother's books and they are very popular for people your age. We just want you to talk about what makes you feel so empowered. What drives you, what you're passionate about. We want to hear you talk about what got you through your struggles and what made you decide not to let anything hold you back. We want you to talk about what makes you strong."

I frowned a bit, pulling out a small notepad and a pen and jotting down a note. "I guess I don't see how me giving a speech empowers teens."

"We're always trying to find good role models for these guys. They found you on their own. They come from all situations of life and you have shown yourself to be someone who understands that. You're willing to be vulnerable, making you strong. Your speech still had thousands of views a day. Actually, we're showing that video before you go on."

"I don't suppose there's anything I could say to convince you not to do that?" I asked, making a face.

She laughed softly. "No, we do that for all of our speakers. We show a clip of what they are best known for as a sort of introduction."

I made a note to bring earplugs so I didn't have to listen to myself ramble.

"Does that help you figure out what to talk about in your speech?"

"Not really, but I'll figure it out. I just have to take some time to flesh out ideas and write down points that I will completely forget when I go to speak. What else am I doing?"

"You're doing a meet and greet, just a quick hi to people and sometimes talking a little bit with the teens of the event."

I nodded. "After the speech?"

She nodded. "That okay?"

"Um…" Crowds…always a struggle since September. "I'll have to have someone with me, um, I'm not completely over what happened and crowds can sometimes trigger anxiety attacks. So I need someone…safe with me. Also, I have to have my dog, for my anxiety."

"Of course, whatever you need."

I nodded, making a note to talk to the boys about one of them coming with me.

"You will have to dress appropriately," She said. "But that shouldn't be a problem."

I shook my head. "Not really. Do I have to dress up? Or can I go casual?"

"Casual is perfectly fine."

I nodded. "Alright. Anything else?"

She shook her head. "Not unless you have any other questions."

I looked at my notes and shook my head. "I'm good. I just have to go figure out what to say now."

"Then I'll leave you to it, I still have some work to finish up."

I waved and took a sip of my hot chocolate, then headed for the door myself. They wanted me to talk about what made me strong? What kind of question was that anyway? I was strong because I had to be. I wanted to fit in and nobody else was falling apart. I made my own family because I couldn't bear the thought of living my life alone. I needed family. My ideas for helping people were limited to demigods right now because they were the ones that were in my immediate circle of concern and care. Mortals didn't have monsters hunting them down.

Well, not regular monsters.

I walked into the park and just slowly meandered as I thought. I wasn't normal. Not by a long shot. I didn't know how they expected me to be a positive influence to people with whom I had little to no common ground. I'd have to go deep, I'd have to delve into the most painful memories to remember what it was like to feel powerless.

When did I start thinking of myself as powerful?

I shuddered. "Time to stop thinking so deeply."

"Cassie!"

I turned and saw Percy, then waved and made my way over.

His mom and step-dad were just behind him, with their daughter, Estelle.

"Hey," I said as I got closer.

Percy gave me a quick hug. "You remember my parents."

"Yeah, hi Sally, hi Paul."

They greeted me warmly.

"What are you doing in town?" Percy asked.

"I had to meet with a lady managing this teen empowerment meeting or whatever. I'm talking at it, I guess. They want me for some reason. It's not like they know about the safe houses, or the children's home I want to open someday. Theresa seemed pretty certain that I was a good idea though." I shrugged.

Percy chuckled. "You're super confidant when you're not thinking about it."

I winced. "That is the problem."

"Are you nervous about it?" Sally asked.

"A little," I answered, folding my arms. "I just, I feel like most of who I am is because of who my father is and everything that goes with that. You know?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I get that. You'll do fine. Halfbloods seem to excel under pressure."

I nodded.

"How was your Thanksgiving?" Sally asked.

I smiled. "It was great. How about you guys?"

Percy grinned. "Awesome."

Sally rolled her eyes a bit. "We had a very nice day."

"Is someone picking you up?" Percy asked, suddenly frowning and looking around.

"They're picking me up at the loft, I'm just walking there." I shrugged a little. "It's not that far from here."

"That conference you mentioned, is that the one being held at Goode?"

"Um, yeah. Why?"

Percy snorted. "That's my old high school. Paul works there. You're not walking alone in New York. Especially not unarmed."

"I'm armed," I argued. Then looked past him to Paul. "Are you going to be there?"

He nodded. "Was offered payment for being there."

"That's a no-brainer, then."

"You aren't walking there alone in New York, armed or not. I know you can defend yourself, but it's still not safe," Percy insisted.

I sighed. "Fine, you can walk me."

Sally laughed softly. "We'll see you later, Cassie. Percy, try not to irritate her."

We set off toward the loft.

I glanced at him. "Enjoy being a brother?"

Percy nodded, grinning. "It's great so far. I mean, she's getting big so quickly and it sucks being away for school because she is growing so quickly. But it's really cool. Have you started work on the loft?"

"Not really, I'm just getting a feel for the space right now. It's got the protective barrier and that's about it."

Percy nodded.

We walked silently.

Nico was out front killing a monster, looking unimpressed. He frowned a bit when he saw Percy. "What are you doing here?"

"Found him in the park, can we keep him mom?" I asked sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry. Hey Percy."

Percy waved a little. "Hey Nico. Can I see the place?"

"Sure, you already volunteered to help work on it during winter break." I led the way inside, and up to the loft.

It was empty, except for the painting and cleaning supplies and a couple of chairs. But the windows and the structure was great and the space was workable.

Travis had a table up with my swatches and samples. "Hey, Percy. Find Cassie wandering around?"

He chuckled lightly. "A little. Saw her in the park. Didn't think she should be around New York alone."

"Ah, so you were more successful in convincing her of that fact."

"I am still armed, and still dangerous." I folded my arms.

Travis smiled somewhat nervously. "Right. Forgot that your swords did that weird invisible thing."

I nodded.

Percy looked somewhat releived. "Okay, I was just trying to figure out how you were armed."

I traced the celtic-knot pattern on the scabbard of the right skean and they became visible to others. We'd discovered that feature sometime around my second week of school. I had noticed that Nico could see them, but mortals couldn't, then when I had been fiddling around and just tracing the left celtic knit wondering if there was a way to make them invisible to demigods as well, Nico had come in and been unable to see them until I drew them. We found that if I traced the knot on the right scabbard it made them visible to demigods, and tracing it twice made it visible to mortals. Because Johnny had seen them when we first got to school. There was definitely a learning curve to using them because I could always see them.

Percy nodded a bit. "Nice. Mine turns into a pen."

"Portable."

He nodded. "Returns to my pocket after a while."

I nodded. "Nice, that makes it…what's with that stray cat?"

"We couldn't get it out. We're going to look up shelters. She's pregnant." Nico had a can of cat food that he gave to the cat.

I shrugged a little. "Okay. It's pretty cold out. Let her stay where it's warm for now."

Will came out from the bathroom. "Okay, bathroom needs work."

Travis grabbed the tool bag and headed for it. "I'll check it out for now."

Percy nodded. "I'll help out."

I looked over my swatches and samples. I wanted the bedroom to be lighter than the rest, but I was still working on just how to do it. If I went with a white and cream type of deal with the same wood that I had planned to use throughout, and just make the details less industrial. The bedroom still needed some sort of segregation from the rest of the loft. The kitchen was also going to be an interesting feat.

Will looked at my fabrics. "Nice color palette."

"Thanks. I'm still working on the bedroom. It's definitely more sophisticated of a place than the burrow. It will still be as useful, but I think it will be more of a stopover place for travelers and a semi-permanent place for someone or other."

"It would be cool," Percy said, shuffling back over. "Nothing I could help with plumbing wise. But this place could be really nice for a couple."

"Like you and Annabeth?" Nico asked, an actual teasing tone and look to him.

Percy looked as surprised as I felt, if not more so. "Um…yeah. I guess I was thinking it would be nice once Annabeth and I are married, to stay here during the holidays at least. Not far from my mom's apartment, but also let's us have some space of our own."

I smiled. "Works for me. At least I know it will be used."


	8. Public Speaking Sucks

**AN: Thank you to Cynder2013 for not only following me (Welcome to the madness), but for pointing out that I called Lou Ellen "Mary Lou". I don't know why. Thanks for pointing it out. I have already fixed it. She just won everyone an extra chapter for today! If you thought things were complicated before, I'm sorry. I'm finally able to build up the world that I wanted to because I have my character figured out and it might be confusing when we get there.**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who's following and who review this. I've gotten some lovely comments and it makes my day especially with school going. Love you all.**

I walked out onto the stage as the audience clapped, the video finally over.

Batman followed me out, a few feet behind me.

I stopped and made him stay.

He lay down, watching me.

I went to the microphone.

Everyone was still clapping, and there were some excited cheers.

I got to the microphone and adjusted the height of it. "Hey guys. I think they thought I was shorter than I actually was." I raised it finally while they all laughed. "So, that speech I gave…" I looked out and made a face. "Yikes."

Everyone laughed, taking it as a joke.

I shrugged. "But seriously, hearing myself speaking is not a fun thing to me. So, thanks for thinking that it is fun or cool. I'm actually here because of you guys. So, hi everyone."

Cheering. Good. That was good.

"So, apparently I'm considered an empowered teen. Now, this may be because of how I handled my mother's death, or the fact that I have my own book coming out in December, or a myriad of other reasons. I was told to talk about what makes me feel empowered.," I told them, giving it a moment before turning slightly and saying, "I had no idea what that meant. Not a clue."

The audience laughed. Thank goodness that joke didn't fall flat.

"So, I guess I'm going to talk about myself and my life and the things that have happened and how I've dealt with them or managed to live with them. I'm going to start by saying that it's hard to consider myself someone who has been through a lot after talking to friends from the summer camp I go to. I mean, honestly, they have the worst luck. But there are certain things that do put me up to par with their misfortune if I look at it from an objective point of view. First would be the fact that my father is not in my life. He never was. The closest thing I have to a father is Jacob. When I think about fathers, he's the one that I think of in my head. So, that's not great. I never really noticed growing up, until I think I went to a friend's house and they had both and I was just sort of confused about what a father was for, like," I shrugged. "My mom does that too."

There were some chuckles.

"Then my friend's father said that he fixed the toilet, like, telling her mom that he was done with fixing it and that it was operational. That shed some light on what father's were for, and then I bugged my mom for the next five years about my father. She told me what she knew about him, which wasn't that much but it was nice to know that I wasn't just some freak of nature. I don't classify not having a father as something bad in my life. It's just sort of there. Um, the next thing would probably be losing my mom. So, you know, that's a little bit bigger and more impacting. Now, almost anyone who knew me after the second week of her being dead said that I handled it fantastically and that they had no clue how I was so together. A clue? I'm really good at suppressing my emotions. Too good. The first week and a half, I was with my half-brother and I was an absolute mess. I don't think I stopped crying for half an hour together and I hated it because I hate crying in front of people. It's embarrassing and I ugly cry most of the time. But she was my whole world, and I had just lost her and I was absolutely terrified. Not of the people who had done this. I knew I was safe. I was terrified of being alone. When I got to the summer camp that my half-brothers go to, I suppose I was determined to make the most of the situation so that I would never feel alone unless I actually chose to have alone time. So I made friends. Over the course of the summer, those friends became family to me, because I don't exactly have family anymore. Why not make my own family from my closest circle of friends? People to rely on and take care of each other, to make sure we make smart choices. To be good influences on each other. To tease each other and spend holidays together."

Everyone was quiet. Shoot. Was I boring them?

"I just had my first Thanksgiving without my mom, and with my adopted family. Let me tell you, it was weird, but we figured it out eventually and I think everyone had a good day. During the summer, I ended up having a reaction to some medicine for an injury I got, and literally spent a few days debating with my own mind. In the end, I had some severe nerve damage and it took a couple extra days to get the medicine out of my system so that I could function like a sane person. It wasn't fun. My arm will go numb every once in a while. Like when I try to climb the rope for gym class. Sometimes it will slowly go numb, other times it will just go numb. It's great. Also makes typing super productive," I said sarcastically.

Some people laughed.

"Something else happened, which I really don't want to talk about. Unfortunately, it is something that happened and that has been something that I adapted to. Back at the end of September, I was drugged and raped by five guys and they overdosed me, so I ended up in the hospital because I stopped breathing. All of the trauma from my mom dying was suddenly fresh again, I was super sensitive to everything. I felt like I was filthy, the whole time. I'm doing a lot better now. I got some professional help. It wasn't what I thought it would be, therapy. I'm…okay with it. Not thrilled. But, it's okay. It actually caused a huge chain reaction at my school. Through the whole summer I was dealing with anxiety. It wasn't necessarily all the time. But that speech that I gave, the one that they showed a video of? Yeah, I had a major anxiety attack while trying to figure that out because the closer it got the more people I heard would be there and be watching. It was seriously terrifying. Thankfully, I had a good group of friends to help me get through it. So, I guess what I'm saying is that what makes me strong is my own determination, and the support of my friends and family. I've determined to be okay. I moved on because I had to, because I needed to be strong and support myself as I sorted through the mess. I am finishing my mom's stories because I can't bring myself to leave them unfinished. I can't imagine leaving them there for the rest of my life. What would be the point, right? So, I'm working on those, and my own stories, and school, and then there was also the court case. There was so much heaped onto my plate that to lift it I had to have two people, a dog and a kitten help me back to my feet."

Batman had snuck over and was sitting by me.

I looked down at him, then shook my head and kept talking. "You never know what people are going through, or how they're actually handling their own troubles. I tried all summer to distract myself from what I felt, because I was more afraid of being alone than of being sad. I bottled it up inside and then I would have moments where I just couldn't function anymore. I can't tell you how many times I was prescribed to take alone time because I was an ambivert who was acting like an extrovert and not taking time alone. But when I did take time alone, I would come back from it feeling better and ready to continue. Usually. There were a couple cases that were somewhat exceptional. I met a lot of people who have functioned without their parents for a long time, people who think it's weird that I was so close to my mother. And I met people who completely understood my…despair. I chose to follow my mother's legacy." I looked over the audience. "Her legacy of strength, kindness, compassion, and concern for the world. Her legacy of writing. But I've also chosen to create my own legacy. I wanted to lleave a legacy, and I have a lot of time to do so. I'm sixteen. If I'm careful, if I make good choices, and if fate is kind then I should have many years ahead of me. If not, then I want to make as much of an impact as I can, with every day that I wake up and find myself breathing. Does that mean I'm actually going to make an impact every day? Not even close. There are those days, you know the ones. The ones where you wake up and realize you hit snooze one too many times, so you rush around and get to school because you have tests all day, and realize that you forgot your notebook and calculator, that you mechanical pencils aren't in your bag and your regular pencils just won't sharpen. Then by the time you get home, you know you don't have homework because you only had exams and you just want to watch TV or something but instead you play a family game and stare across the table at your brother thinking, 'Did he do something different with his hair? Or does he just need a haircut?' But you don't dare ask because you live with him and that would just be weird if you didn't notice that. Then the cat hacks up a hair ball." I went through that whole thing, ending looking out over the crowd, thinking about that day and making a face.

There was a lot of laughter for that one.

"Someone said that I did such a big thing by posting about how much I love the pets I adopted from a shelter. When you see this adorable face online—" I squished his face a bit and he wagged his tail. "And then learn that his name is Batman, then yeah. Yes, I got a part great dane dog that is named Batman. He's awesome and he had previous training, which was another appealing thing for us because I was never allowed to have a puppy or anything because it hinders travel and we had to travel a lot. Our kitten, Parker, is very cuddly and hides in our beds. We have to thoroughly check our beds before we even sit down on them. Also, we have to check our backpacks because she likes to crawl into them while we're getting ready and we've accidentally brought her to school three times. One of those times was just for a club meeting, which was also the time that there was a shooting at our school. That was a scary hour or so. I think. Maybe." I frowned at the ceiling a bit. "You know, I wasn't really scared for myself that day. I was actually pretty calm. I was more concerned about other people. My boyfriend was there, some new friends, the brother I adopted this summer…I didn't want them to get hurt. I wasn't scared until I found out that the shooter was actually from the group that had kidnapped my mom and I. That he had been there because of me. That whole issue is starting to come to a close as well. So, fingers crossed that that nightmare is over."

Batman barked once.

"Shush," I ordered, shaking my head. "And I've been talking for a long time and I'm not entirely certain that I even said anything that was slightly helpful for an empowerment conference."

Laughter had to be a good thing. Right?

"So, I guess really quick, I'd like to say this: You guys, we're young. Our youth allows us to do so much more, because we have more time ahead of us. There will always be people who try to tear us down and make us give up. We have our whole lives to learn from the mistakes of those who have come before us. But we also have problems ourselves that we haven't figured out yet. So I want you guys to consider four things that you can try to help each other with. The first is substance abuse. This can be the biggest reason you will fail. And media sources are pushing this idea into our heads that alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs are cool things to do. That they're fun and don't have terrible consequences. The second is bullying. I know that you all are getting inundated with anti-bullying campaigns, but I want you guys to consider it in a different light. These anti-bullying campaigns revolve largely around you being able to see these mean comments. But you can't always see them. At my school, some of the guys on the football team have started an anti-bullying group. They did this after what happened to me, because there's a faction of people at our school who were definitely not on my side. Our quarterback knew he was seen as a leader in the school and decided that anyone getting bullied should have a group to have their back. That the ones who aren't strong enough to hold that sort of crap should have some extra muscle to fall back on. Because the bullying that I received was anonymous, and posted privately. We had no way of linking the comments to people at our school. The court systems still aren't able to do much of anything when it comes to bullying. If we don't take care of the people around us, are we really any better than the bullies?"

It was quiet enough that I could hear someone cough toward the back.

"Third, is depression. If you think someone is depressed or suicidal, tell someone. Never think for a moment that it's a joke when someone says that they're going to kill them. Will this make you seem like a ridiculously serious person, yeah. But sometimes it's better to take something like that seriously than to dismiss it as nothing and find out later that it wasn't. If you find yourself struggling with depression, or your friend comes to you struggling with depression, you listen. You tell them to find a help center, you tell someone who can help you and who will make you feel loved. You find a help line. You find a group online to support you. Do something, because the last thing that this world needs is to lose another brilliant mind. Four, it is okay to not know what you want for your future. I've been looking at some statistics because I'm kind of dorky like that and more than half of college students tend to switch their majors. It's more than okay to pick up a trade instead of going to college. Trades are jobs too, and their job fields that are usually looking for people to fill them." I had an idea that suddenly started nagging at me. "If you want to travel for a bit instead of going to college or some form of training, then get a job and save up your money. You want to join army? The navy? The Marines? The Air Force? The Coast Guard? Go for it and know that my prayers are for your safety. We can all do brilliant things. They don't even have to change the world, even if they change one life, we've done something good. Draw your personal power from inside yourself and go through life with determination. Determine to be good, do good, to make a happy life for yourself. I think you'll all surpass me by miles. I mean, look at this crowd! We could all walk out of here, determined to do one good thing today and make such a huge impact. If that's not powerful…I don't know what is." I glanced at my watch. "I have to stop talking now. Thanks for listening to me ramble, you guys are great!" I waved.

The room erupted in cheers, surprising me.

Batman got excited, but calmed down when gave a slight tug on his collar.

I gave a bit of a bow, then had to kind of pull Batman a bit as I started to leave the stage.

He eventually followed me off.

"Well, that was terrible. You should have let me make an outline or something," I told Jacob, Travis, and Nico.

Nico just smirked. "You think that about every speech, don't you?"

There was more laughter and cheering out there.

I looked back, then hurried back to grab Batman.

He didn't come with me, too excited, and he was definitely too big for me to drag.

Nico came out with his leash and best and strapped it on the dog, which brought immediate obedience. Then Batman waited for a moment before following me off the stage while Theresa laughingly announced the break and that I would be interacting in the gym in about ten minutes.

I shook my head. "Yeah, because I was rambling and did I even have a point? Will they even remember that? Did that even do anything? I felt like I was just talking. Although, I do have something else I want to research now."

"There, then someone got something out of it. And you spoke for quite a while without being nervous, or at least not showing that you were nervous." Jacob was writing something down on a piece of paper. "Travis and Nico, you two stick with her out there?"

Travis nodded.

"Okay, I have to run over to Lorraine's office. I'll be back in an hour or so," Jacob told me, then kissed my forehead. "You were great. I'll see you later."

I waved a bit.

Nico nodded toward our route out to the foyer. "We should get you out there. We're your security detail. We'll ensure that you are secure."

I rolled my eyes. "My speech broke Nico."

Travis chuckled. "Come on. You have people to talk with."

"Yay."

Nico put an arm around my shoulders. "At least you get to sit while you do it."

"That is nice." I rolled my shoulders. "Think I have time to switch to my boots?"

"Shoes hurting your feet?"

I nodded.

"We'll take the time. We've got a couple extra minutes," Travis said.

I darted over to where our stuff was sitting and slipped out of my heels, pulling on socks and then boots.

Nico was wearing my swords, the visibility turned off completely, ready to use them if need be. He was super protective of me.

I finished and got back up. "Better hurry." I walked purposefully toward the door that led out to the hall.

Paul Blofis was in the hall. "Thought you might need someone to show you the way."

I smiled. "Hey, yeah, that'd be great."

"Your speech was good."

"Yeah, but not great." I frowned a bit. "I rambled and I didn't have a point."

Paul chuckled. "You were fine. You expressed yourself well."

"I rambled."

"You'll never convince her that either of her speeches were good," Travis told Paul.

Paul nodded, chuckling still. He led us into the gym using some sort of back way.

The crowd was starting to file in, talking to the other people who had talked to them. The other speeches had been good.

I followed Paul to an area. There were some chairs there, and a table by the middle chair.

"It's easiest if you stay in one area. Have people come to you, we'll make sure that there's movement in the crowd so that more people can talk to you," Paul explained. "I'll check on you guys in a little while."

I nodded. "Thanks."

He gave an encouraging smile and walked off.

I climbed onto one of the seats.

Nico stood beside me, looking a little wary and holding Batman's leash.

Travis looked around for a moment. "I'm going to go grab water bottles before the crowds reach us."

I nodded. "That'd be good." I stroked Batman's ears, nervously watching the crowd draw closer.

Travis jogged back over, then handed me a water bottle and made a funny face.

I did it back, then saw the girl who was tentatively approaching me and waved. "Hi." Wonder how the rest of the day was going to go.


	9. Are we done yet?

I laughed a bit, then waved as the new people came over.

Nico leaned closer and asked me if I was okay.

I nodded, but I was getting tired. I didn't know how much more I could do, though I supposed the event had to end eventually.

A guy came up. "Hey, I hear you know my buddy, Johnny Cahill?"

I smiled and nodded. "He's a friend of ours."

"Dude, tell me he isn't the quarterback there too?"

I shrugged. "Alright, I won't."

He groaned. "Seriously, that dude just can't resist it."

I laughed. "Yeah, he's definitely got mad people and leading skills."

He shook his head. "Does he still talk about taking over the world?"

"Of course he does," I answered. "But it gets more joking every day. Yet, every day we believe it more."

Nico nodded. "He's in a politics class right now. It's kind of entertaining."

He shook his head. "Of course it is. Tell him Brett says 'Hi'."

"Will do," I answered.

Brett waved and then moved on to the next person.

I looked around, then glanced at my watch. "I'm going to have to take a break." I told Nico, showing him my shaking hands.

He frowned, and nodded. "While there's a gap."

I got up and took the leash from Nico, heading out the door Paul had led us through. I sat against the wall, petting Batman for a while.

Nico went to the end of the hallway to stand guard. Making sure I wasn't disturbed.

I did my best to sort of calm down. "How much longer do you think this will last?"

He glanced back and shrugged a little. "Can't be too much longer."

I nodded.

"You ready to go back?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

He helped me back to my feet, then got the door for me. "I'm ready to crash too."

"It's been going on for three hours. It has to end eventually. Or am I just supposed to say that I'm leaving and leave? I didn't cover this part."

"Well, Jacob was supposed to be back by now, otherwise we could ask him."

I nodded. "Lorraine held him for questioning."

"Fantastic. Great chaperone."

"Travis is my chaperone, you're my companion, and Batman is my therapy. And he's a good therapy baby." I fed Batman a treat. I had been doing pretty well. Sometimes I just didn't notice the symptoms or the reasons for my reaction to things and it was really frustrating.

Paul came down the hallway. "We're getting ready to wrap up, but there's a big crowd still wanting to talk to you."

"How big?"

He made a so-so gesture. "About half the crowd."

I felt my eyes widen. "How am I supposed to talk to that many people?"

He handed me a list of questions. "We realized that they all wanted to talk to you so when they entered the room we encouraged them to write down their questions for you. You're not dyslexic, correct?"

"Right."

"Read through them quickly, if there's an overall theme, you can just address it one time, and then answer some of the smaller questions. I'm sure there are a lot of similar questions. Other questions that we run out of time for…you can take with you and answer them later?" He guessed.

I nodded slowly. "Okay, I can do that." I started glancing through the questions.

"Youve already been here longer than we thought anyone was going to be, so we'll cut it off in about half an hour."

"They suggested longer, didn't they?"

"You're welcome."

"Thank you," I said. Most of the questions were along similar themes to other questions so I could put those aside. Others were completely off-topic and others were just funny. "Okay. I'm just talking about them in there?"

"No, we're telling anyone who asked you a question to come back into the auditorium so that you can answer questions all at once without interruption."

I nodded, and got up, following him and Nico back to the stage. "I thought I was done with this kind of thing for today."

"Sorry," Nico said, not sounding like it.

I went out on the stage with Paul, leaving Batman with Nico.

I could see people hurrying to their seats.

"Alright, Ms. Dellaro is going to answer as many questions as she can in the next fifteen to twenty minutes and then we have to let her get back to her life."

Cheering.

Awesome.

I glanced at the list. "First question was whether my boyfriend was real or not. Yes, yes he is. And yes, I have a type. Second, I'm sorry, I cannot go out on a date with you, because I have a boyfriend. A bunch of you asked how you can start a good-decisions group at your own school." I paused and looked around. "Guys, look around you? Each of you are here either because you were forced to come, or you chose too. There were at least twenty different people asking about how to start the alternative group, so anyone who asked me that should just meet on the far right side of the auditorium after this and then talk to a teacher about being the moderator or whatever. This is a great place to find like-minds. Birds of a feather."

I looked over the questions. "Yeah, I'm old fashioned in the way that I honestly put my life before my relationship with my boyfriend, which is fine because we've both agreed to do it that way. We're both intellectual people who want to make sure we make the most of the education and time we're given at this young age. I don't think dating at a younger age than fifteen is good. Honestly, if I hadn't met my boyfriend when I did and liked him so much I wouldn't be dating at all because I think it's stupid. I think it's stupid to waste time on someone that you're probably not going to spend the rest of your life with. You don't stop growing as a person, you don't stop changing. And every adult I've ever talked to says that you don't know who you are until you're at the very least, twenty-one. Is that the case for everyone? Dear Goodness, no. There are always exceptions. But I see people my age throwing their lives in the toilet for boyfriends or girlfriends and I think it's a crappy way to live. I will not be defined by my relationships and who I'm dating. I define myself and the way I learn to do that is by being alone with myself and getting to know who I am. Does that sort of negate my fear of being alone, it's complicated. I can be alone without being alone, okay? Anyway, it's all a matter of perspective. Some people I know will be perfectly happy with the people they are dating right now at our ages as they would be if they had met in college and will continue to be so. I'm halfway a realist and halfway a cynic. It just depends on the topic."

I looked over the list. "Oh yes, my family believes in guns and weapons and defending ourselves. Nothing will change this. Batman is half Great Dane, and Half Mutt. Parker is our kitten and she's like a blonde color and was named after the character from Leverage played by Beth Reisgraf. You're right, I haven't said my sort-of adopted brother's name out of respect for his privacy. My half-brothers are virtually identical, so if you see one it might be the other and no they will not talk to you because they're suspicious people and they have bad experiences with strangers coming up to them. Will I ever publish another book… possibly but right now it's not likely because I have school and school."

"Breckenridge!" Nico hollered from backstage.

"Shut up, don't talk about that," I said, giving him a reproachful look. "Um, will I ever drink alcohol? It's highly unlikely. Maybe champagne, but I still have to be twenty-one so until then I'm just going to stick to sparkling grape juice and sparkling apple juice, or lemonade. Have I ever tried drugs? No, but they were forced on me, in an overdose and I stopped breathing and was in the hospital for much longer than I actually wanted to be. What are some charities I'm working on building? That's a tricky question to answer. Um, I have a few things in the works but I can't talk about them just yet because nothing is solid. That said, most of the money I've donated to charities is actually from a charity fund my mom had set aside. No, I don't sing. Not really. I can carry a tune and that's about it. Mom was a much better singer than me. I blame my father, because he's not around anyway. My favorite sport is dancing. Um, I do hip hop, some ballroom, and swing dancing. I don't really do any other sports. I mean, archery and some broadsword is taught at the summer camp I was at, and rock climbing. But all of those are a little difficult with my arm being stupid and going numb under stress. Jacob is pretty much my father, but he isn't. It's complicated, as is most of my life. My favorite color is…blue. I think. Maybe. I don't know. It changes from day to day, week to week, month to month. And the context. It really depends on the context. Do I dye my hair? No. I've thought about it because it is just brown. But the closest I've ever gotten is chickening out of highlights and some temporary blue hair dye when mom's book came out last year about this time."

Paul came back out. "That's all we have time for now, so please give Ms. Dellaro a warm thank you and have a nice day."

There was clapping, but there were also a lot of disappointed sounds.

I waved and signed thank you, then hurried off-stage. "Finally. I can go home. I'm so tired."

"Can we get food on the way home?" Nico asked Travis, who had reappeared.

"Actually, Sally invited us to have pizza with them."

I nodded. "That's fine with me. I just need to get away from these crowds."

"We'll have to sneak Batman in."

"I'll shadow travel him in." Nico scratched behind Batman's ears.

Travis nodded and put an arm around my shoulders, leading the way out and to the car.

There were people out there already and some of them saw me and came running over.

I waved, but ducked behind Travis as he politely told them we had to leave and blocked them from getting to me.

Nico took over and got me the rest of the way to the car, and we hopped in and locked the doors so that no one could follow me in like a freak.

Travis managed to get to the vehicle and get in without anyone else getting in. Thankfully after that the crowds dispersed a bit.

I shook my head. "That was crazy."

Nico nodded. "I'm exhausted and I was just keeping you company."

Travis shook his head a bit. "Let's not do that again."

"Where were you?"

"Taking a call from Jacob. He had to run over to Boston. He said he might not be able to make it back."

I nodded. "Business. I get it. Should we wait a while so Paul can get home first?"

"He said to just head over. Sally and Percy are home."

I closed my eyes and murmured something that sounded like okay. I was still holding the list of questions. I'd have to answer them later. At least it would give me something to post on twitter.

 **AN: Remember, a bunch of posts in honor of Cassie's birthday tomorrow!**


	10. Haunted

**AN: I'm not sure why I thought today was the third, but either way, you're going to get a ton of posts in honor of her birthday. then hopefully when I get to the day of her birthday in my story it will actually be her birthday. Sorry if the next few chapters are confusing. I'm doing my best to explain things.**

* * *

I jerked awake, terrified without knowing why. I felt like I had just gotten to sleep after that stupidly long day. I wasn't sure I ever wanted to do an event like that one again. It was way too long. And I was exhausted.

So why had I woken up?

Batman was standing on my bed, growling at the corner.

I sat up, frowning. "What is it, boy?"

He barked, then continued growling. His fur was raised, and he was definitely in a protective state.

I looked around the room, but didn't see anything.

"Cassie!" Nico yelled. "Wake up!"

"I am!" I grabbed my belt, shimmying out of bed and pulling the skeans from their scabbards. "What's going on?"

He slid into the room, sword in one hand, kitten tucked into his arm and hissing and growling. "I don't know. We need to get to Travis."

I nodded, then caught sight of it from the corner of my eye. "Nico, it's a ghost."

"What are you talking about?"

"Right there, by the closet door. There's a ghost."

"No there isn't." Nico was looking that way as well, confusion written on his face.

"Nico, I know what a ghost looks like."

"Cassie! Nico!" Travis yelled from downstairs.

"Batman, come!"

The dog hurried over to guard me, still growling.

I gently pushed Nico back. "Lead the way out. I'm watching it."

He grabbed stuck close so that I could see him from the corner of my eye. "How come you can see it but I can't?"

"How did you know something was up?"

"Parker, she wasn't happy. She woke me up, then I heard Batman bark. And there's sort of a chill in the air. I thought maybe a monster had managed to get it." He let the cat drop to the ground and grabbed my sleeve to guide me better. "Where is it?"

"It's following…" The I saw the others. "Nico, there are four of them. Two were in the hall. One just came out of your room."

"Cassie! Nico!"

"We're coming!" I glanced over my shoulder. "Nico! In front of you!"

He swung out with his sword, missing, but the ghost backed away a bit. "Where?"

"To your left, you can get past it." I swung out with my own sword and almost connected with another. They didn't seem malicious yet, but it was better safe than sorry…right?

He darted forward, still holding onto me.

Batman was starting to bark a little more, and he ran past us and off to wherever Travis was when we heard something that sounded like him getting hurt.

"Travis!" I passed Nico and darted through the living room toward the sitting room.

"I'm okay, I just tripped over the table. Stay out there!"

I stopped and backed back into the living and kitchen. "Nico?"

"Why can't I sense them?"

"You can, you said there's a chill in the air. Where does it get colder? Where do you get that feeling in your gut that someone is behind you? Where do you feel like you're being watched?" I let my gaze dart around the room. "All the times people say that their house is haunted, think of all the indicators of ghosts that you know. Take out seeing them and being able to control them. They must be Irish or something."

He looked a little scared, which was saying something.

"Think of the times when you were alone and you didn't feel like you were. Then when you feel like they're about to touch you to comfort you, move. Swing your sword. You're stronger than a bunch of ghosts."

"I don't think my sword is going to work," He said, letting his voice harden. "Got an extra?"

I pursed my lips. "Maybe in the closet."

"Alright, spot me."

I nodded sharply, keeping my gaze flitting around the room as more and more ghosts appeared. "Travis?"

"Working on it!"

I lunged forward and almost got the ghost again. "Okay, what else did Allison tell us worked against Irish and Celtic beings?"

"Iron…salt?" Nico reached the closet, his hand hovering around the handle. Then he backed away from it. "Cass, you have to open it."

I nodded and handed him one of my skeins, then opened the closet and ran my remaining one through the ghost in it.

It dissipated.

I grabbed the case and opened it. "Celestial bronze. That won't work if they're Celtic."

"Nope, iron it is. What do we have?"

"Fireplace set."

"On the other side of the room?"

"I didn't design the house."

"Ugh," He groaned through gritted teeth.

A door slammed upstairs, then the whole house shuttered and the lights flickered on, then off again.

We pretty much ran to the fireplace.

"What do we do?"

"I don't know, my only experience with ghosts…well, I don't have any! You're the son of the underworld!"

He grabbed the fire-poker and held it like a sword. "Lot of good that's doing me now, I can't even see them."

"To your right."

He lashed out with the poker and we were met with the agonized screech of a spirit dissipating.

I shuddered, feeling it in my teeth and every hair on my body raised, chills running along my spine.

Nico looked terrified. "Okay, I don't want to do that again."

"Please don't," I agreed.

Parker darted over to us, hissing from behind us at the ghosts.

"Are we surrounded?"

"Yeah."

"Crap."

"Travis?"

There was no response.

Batman was barking again, and he ran out. He tried to attack a ghost but they didn't really react to his presence.

I felt another chill. "Travis?!"

Nico's eyes widened. "Travis?!"

I cursed, earning another scared look from Nico, and pointed at the kitchen. "Salt. Then we'll try burning some sage." Another idea from Spiderwick Chronicles came to mind. "And tomato juice."

"What?"

"Just go with it!"

"Okay, back to back, constant circling. Ready?"

I stepped forward, swiping my swords in the air to create room. "Ready."

We made our way over, not entirely without tripping or being clumsy, but finally reached the kitchen and both scrambled to find the supplies we wanted. Salt, lighter, sage, can opened and a can of tomato sauce.

Nico lit the sage on fire while I first tossed salt at the ghosts, and then took a page from Supernatural and made a circle of salt around us.

"Is it working at all?"

"Well, the ghosts closer to the burning sage look calmer if that helps."

"And the salt?"

"They don't like it, so I think we're on the right track."

"And the tomato sauce?"

"Is something I read in a book and I haven't tested it yet."

Parker stayed in the very middle of the circle, looking stressed and upset.

Batman was still barking at the ghosts and trying to get them.

I opened the can of tomato sauce and then tried to figure out how to deliver the sauce to the ghosts. I finally settled for taking a spoonful and flinging the contents at the closest ghosts.

It landed on the floor and cabinets.

"Okay, that didn't work. It was worth a shot, though." I tossed the can onto the counter.

"What happened to Travis?"

"I don't know."

"What do they want?"

"If I knew, we wouldn't be in this situation. Nico, please, I'm trying to stay calm but I need you calm too."

He didn't respond.

I glanced back to make sure he was still there, and still okay, then glanced around the room. "Remember how I told you the first night we stayed here that I had felt like I was being watched when I first woke up? Suddenly doesn't seem so crazy."

"So what do we do? Who do we call?"

"Ghostbusters?"

"Cassie, not a joking time."

"Well, it was either Ghostbusters or the Winchesters, so…"

"Not a joking time."

"Right, um…" My answer would be him if he hadn't been here. The other options were Connor, Allison, or Eithne. Or Mr. Stoll. "We have four options?"

"Why is that a question?"

"I'm not certain about any of them being able to help us. There's Connor, Allison, Eithne, and Mr. Stoll."

Nico made a nervous sound. "Try Mr. Stoll."

I pulled out my phone and brought up his number, keeping an eye on the ghosts as I hit the call button and it rang.

"Gareth Stoll, at your service, how may I assist you?" His English accent was oddly soothing, despite the ghosts glowering at us.

"Grandpa? It's Cassie, we have a ghost problem."

"I see, I could contact some people and see how fast they can get there. Stay in a circle of salt. I'm on my way."

"I think they took Travis."

"That's not good. Alright, hang tight. Don't leave the salt circle."

"Yes sir," I responded, then stared at the phone after he hung up. "He said to stay in the salt circle. He's on his way and he's calling someone who can help."

"Seriously? That's it? We're just supposed to stand here until help arrives?"

"Can you see the ghosts?"

He scowled at the floor. "No."

"Do you really want to hear that bone-numbing scream again?" The ghost I had stabbed with my sword was back. Guess that had been a temporary solution.

He forcefully shook his head. "Not in this lifetime. I think I almost had a panic attack."

"Then we wait for help to arrive and stay in the dang circle."

"Good thing it was just the three of us tonight?" He asked, almost rhetorical but not quite. "If Will was missing I think I'd go crazy."

"Then it's a good thing Will isn't missing then, isn't it?"


	11. Ghostbusters!

"Hello?"

I flinched at the suddenness of the gruff voice in the mostly silent house. "In here!" Man. I had almost gotten to sleep. While standing…bad planning Cass. Bad planning.

Two men holding shotguns came in cautiously and looked a little startled at the amount of ghosts. They looked vaguely familiar.

"Dean, we're going to need more salt." The taller one said.

Dean looked at us. "You two okay?"

"Tired, but fine. I'm glad they don't care about the dog."

Batman was awake now, and going over to the men, hesitant and still defensive.

"Batman, where's your ball?" I asked, distracting him.

"Your dog's name is Batman?" Dean asked.

"Yes, let's focus on the dog while we're surrounded by ghosts and we aren't sure where my half-brother is. That's what's important," I said dryly, folding my arms.

He gave sort of a nod, looking at the ghosts as they walked past them.

Nico finally woke up and got up, barely awake. "Are the ghosts still surrounding us?"

"Yeah," I smoothed his hair. "But Grandpa's help has arrived I think."

"Why aren't they attacking us?" The taller man asked, frowning at the room.

"Anybody you know that would want to send ghosts after your two?" Dean asked, going right up to one of them.

They didn't even look at him. They were fixated on us.

"Not really." Nico smirked a bit. "Normally I'm in control of the ghosts."

Then I really looked at them. Two men. One named Dean. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that had kept me from realizing that I definitely recognized them.

I gripped Nico's arm. "Two things. One, my curse that we're working on breaking."

Both men glanced at each other and moved through the ghosts to us.

"Second," I continued, dropping my voice to a whisper. "Supernatural. They're the Winchesters. And they don't know about our…history."

Nico frowned. "Dude…"

"You know who we are?" Sam asked, looking confused or maybe concerned as he entered our salt circle.

"Yes, but you'll never believe where I know you from. It's complicated. How do we get rid of these ghosts?" I checked my container of salt. Empty. Of course.

Dean looked around the kitchen, then nodded toward the can of tomato sauce. "Were you making dinner or something?"

"I was hedging my bets, tried burning sage. That seemed to make them…well, like this. There were pretty hostile looking before. How do you know Grandpa?"

"Gareth? We didn't even know he had grandkids. Met him while we were fighting a hydra. You're his granddaughter?" Sam was definitely friendlier right now than Dean.

Of course, they were just now noticing my skeans, and the iron poker that Nico was casually holding like he would his sword.

Parker managed to leap onto the counter and hiss exhaustedly at the ghosts, then sniff at the burnt sage.

"Cassandra? Nico?" Grandpa Stoll's voice boomed from the entrance.

"In here!"

The ghosts were moving, their attention caught by his entrance. They rushed toward him as he ran in, he had a strange sort of weapon that seemed to make them dissipate.

"Bloody awful!" He leapt into the circle, hugging us close to him so that there was room for him. "Sorry, I brought some more salt."

I gave him a hug, then backed away. "Theory time?"

"Ooh, goody!" Grandpa nodded firmly at the Winchesters. "Boys, good to see you're alive. Now, what's your theory, Cassie?"

"They're after our kind. Nico could go out there and be fine, those two too. But if I were to step out or you, they would attack again."

"How do you suggest testing this theory?"

I shrugged, watching to see when the ghosts calmed down.

"Alright, why didn't you just get rid of them with that iron poker?" Sam asked.

I took it from Nico and stabbed a ghost.

The screech, the hair rising, the goosebumps, the chills and Nico hastily taking it back from me as it left my bones feeling tingly.

Dean made an understanding face. "Let's not do that again. Salting and burning that many bodies won't be easy."

I looked around, then saw the wall that had the secret panel. It required my irish-ness.

I glanced at them as they discussed ghosts and such. If I was quick, if I used my swords, I could get to the panel and get the emergency warding supplies that Allison had planted for us.

"Alright, so, if we really want to test her theory then we need to try stepping out of the circle."

I darted out, heading to the panel.

"What the hell?!" Dean yelled.

Everyone was generally just not happy with me for doing it.

I got to the panel and managed to open it and grab the emergency crystal and slammed it into the wall.

Bright blue light flashed.

"The hell was that?"

I peeked back and could see that all the ghosts were missing. "A temporary solution. We have half an hour. If these instructions are right. So, what do we do?"

"Salt and ward the house," Sam said, but he was staring at me a little.

Dean was frowning at me.

Grandpa chuckled. "Smart girl, but why didn't you do that earlier?"

I pursed my lips. "It's been a long night." I walked back over, fighting a yawn.

Nico darted over and grabbed my hand, pulling me back in the circle. "Any more crazy stunts, or are you done scaring us?"

Grandpa shook his head, still chuckling. "They were definitely after you. Now if you pull another stunt like that I will make sure you get grounded for the next four years."

"Yes sir," I said, but held up the bag. "We have two more shots with these, but after that we better be ready."

Sam and Dean were already spreading salt along the walls, and seemed to be muttering together to try and figure out a plan hopefully.

"Dean, they're kids." I barely overhead Sam.

"Kids with swords and magic, Sammy."

"And ears," I called over. I fought another yawn.

"I suppose neither of you got any sleep?" Granpda asked, mixing some herbs together in a bowl.

"I got some sleep, but Cassie didn't." Nico took the bag of salt from the counter and started helping line the walls and windows. "She's stubborn and I was too tired to fight her on it."

Grandpa nodded a little. "Cassie, get the garlic powder, please."

I grabbed the container of garlic powder and set it beside him. "What's this?"

"More anti-ghost stuff, learned this in Camelot. It's not much, won't be nearly as useful as salting the perimeter. Dean, Sam, do we have a plan for getting rid of these ghosts?"

They glanced at each other, then Sam straightened up. "She mentioned a curse?"

I nodded. "It can't be broken until the new year, a friend is working on gathering some of the rarer items and I have to gather what she can't. It mostly causes bad luck." I shrugged, hugging myself, not wanting to go into it. "I suppose this might count, but if it was the curse, I'm pretty sure they'd be focused just on me. Not Grandpa or Travis."

Dean nodded. "I'll go get some more ammo. We're going to need it. You stay in that circle, got it?" He looked pretty angry at me.

I shrunk back a bit, but nodded.

Batman growled at Dean for about ten seconds, then sat protectively between me and Dean.

I shushed the dog, then stared out the window. The morning looked beautiful. "What's the likelihood of the ghosts not returning until night?"

"It's possible," Sam said, taking a friendlier tone than his brother. "But it's better to be safe. Gareth, you said that someone was taken?"

"My actual grandson, Travis. He's about twenty, tall, curly brown hair, blue eyes."

I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone, showing Sam a picture of me with both Travis and Connor. "He's the taller one."

Sam looked at it, then showed Dean as he came back in with a duffel bag. "Any ideas why ghosts would take him?"

I shook my head and looked at Grandpa, who looked like he'd had a disturbing realization.

"These might be the ghosts of the Athraitheoirí ama." He looked ghostly pale, aging him about thirty years and making me worry that he might have a heart attack or something.

I frowned over the Irish words he had used. "Time transformers?"

"In English we usually refer to them as meddlers. They were able to…" He stopped himself. "Are able to…"

I arched an eyebrow, then covered my face with my hands. "Oh, I so need a nap!"

Sam and Dean were still waiting for Grandpa to finish when I finally pulled my hands away.

Grandpa seemed to be struggling with words for once.

Nico came back.

"Okay, let me see if in my half-asleep state I have everything straight. The ghosts are after my kind, but not their kind or Nico's, the curtains between the worlds have grown impossibly thin and war could break out or reality could implode, I have two books of my mother's to finish, school starts back up on monday—tomorrow, and on top of everything else that's going on, I still have to fight greek and roman monsters so that I can try to finish high-school, figure out what I want to do with my life and try to make sense of…everything. Did I miss anything?"

"Boys and dating?" Nico suggested half-heartedly.

I groaned. "It's not worth it! I'm going to bed. If they kill me, so be it!" I dropped my face back into my hands, too tired to actually go to my bed.

It was pretty quiet.

Nico actually laughed a bit. "You're too tired to go up the stairs, aren't you?"

"Shut up, Di Angelo."

He laughed a little more. "You weren't kidding when you said you hadn't slept Thursday night."

I peeked through my fingers to sort of glare at him.

Nico kept laughing. "You also forgot that you have your own book release to think of, and the safe houses you're building, the fact that you might become an important figure at camp, training, exams, maintaining friendships, giving interviews, and trying not to have nightmares about your mom getting killed or getting raped, or worrying about all of the people you care about and their general well-being, and the ten or twenty other charities and such that you want to build up, being an ambassador for the Celtic peoples to the Greeks and Romans, and somehow manage your money so you come out on top."

I stared at him, wide-eyed. I couldn't breathe past the knot in my throat.

He laughed a little more, then calmed down and looked at us. His eyes slowly widened. "What the…Cassie, I didn't mean to say that, I don't why I said that! Cassie, breathe!"

I took a little gasp of a breath, my vision swimming. My limbs felt a little heavy, and I was shaking all over.

"Crap! I'm sorry!"

"Stay back, you might be possessed or something." Grandpa blocked Nico from getting to me.

"Is she alright?" Dean asked.

Batman was whining and nudging my hand, licking it and then barking at them.

I blacked out for what felt like one second, but it must have been at least a minute. At most…

Well, I wasn't sure.

Stupid sleep deprivation and anxiety.

Sam was leaning over me. "She's waking up."

I blinked then glanced around. I was in my bedroom. "I passed out?"

He nodded, trying for a comforting smile but it was like a flicker and then it went out and he glanced back. "The ghosts haven't come back yet."

"How long has it been?"

"An hour."

I felt my eyes widen. "Are you kidding me?!" I pushed myself up and looked around.

Nico was tied to the arm chair, napping.

Dean was standing in the doorway with a shotgun.

Grandpa was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Grandpa?"

"He went to make sure Connor was okay, I guess." Sam looked like he was concerned that I was moving.

I nodded, then gave Batman a bit of a shove. "Off, you lug. You're not supposed to be there. He didn't hurt you guys, did he?"

Sam shook his head. "What Nico said…"

"If you're wondering if it's true, then yes. I have anxiety attacks, it's fine. I just have no control over them and thus look like a complete idiot sometimes." I rubbed my left arm, silently willing it not to go numb. "Normally I can catch it before I pass out. Is the whole place salted?"

"No, we just did this room. Tied Nico up after he helped us find all the weapons and tools we could use. Why are there so many weapons?" Dean asked, nodding to the pile of swords, arrows, knives, and iron fireplace tools.

"Greek and Roman monsters sort of make it their goal to ensure our death," I explained a bit. "It's complicated and my brain is still a little fuzzy. You'd think passing out would help you feel rested."

Sam looked concerned still. "Go ahead and try to sleep. We've got things covered. We'll wake you if there's a problem."

I hesitated. "Wake me when the ghosts show back up, not when there's a problem."

He nodded. "Just, rest."

If I hadn't watched all twelve seasons of the show, I probably wouldn't have done as he said. But having watched the show, I trusted them for who knows what reason and curled up in the bed to sleep while they kept guard.

"I told you, they're just kids. They fight monsters, but they aren't used to doing what we do." Sam whispered to Dean.

"Something weird about them, though, Sam. What if this is some sort of trap?"

"I'll do some research on them while they sleep, will that make you feel better?"

"It's better to know what we're up against." Dean's whisper wasn't exactly quiet.

I peeked out at them, then rolled over. It was weird not being trusted, and knowing that explaining things would only make things more complicated. I didn't know how much of the show was real and how much was just the machinations of some alternate being that made it into a show. Though I supposed only time would tell.


	12. Meddlesome

A hand touched my shoulder and I woke up with a scared shriek.

"Get away from me!" I yelled before I even had my eyes open all the way.

Dean jumped back with his hands in the air. "Whoa, calm down."

I blinked a couple times, then starting taking deep breaths to calm myself. "Sorry." I rubbed my arms, waiting for my hands to stop shaking.

He didn't seem concerned by my reaction, actually looking like he understood it. "Don't worry about it. We just had some questions about you two so we could try to figure out this ghost situation."

I nodded slowly. "Okay, yeah. Go ahead."

"Nico said your mom was killed, did she die here?" Sam asked gently.

I shook my head. "No, a warehouse in Michigan. We were kidnapped. They stabbed her. That was back in May."

"Do you have anything of hers on you?" Dean asked.

"You're joking, right? Practically everything I own was hers. Besides, I don't exactly think she could be more than one ghost. And Nico definitely would have seen her if it had been her."

"We'll come back to that," Dean said, sitting down. "Your dad?"

"Complicated, and not exactly in the picture."

"Complicated how?" Sam asked.

"Met him briefly once, earlier this summer. The only reason I can go to the same camp as Nico is because of my father. That's all I can tell you. Honestly, it opens up too many rabbit holes if I were to elaborate."

"Alright, so we're back to your mother."

I sighed. "Juliet Dellaro, she was an author. Big fan-base."

Dean looked just a little too casual. "Dellaro…like…the author of the Forgotten Bridge?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It was my idea to have it be a covered bridge. It was originally a rope bridge."

Sam looked confused, but also slightly amused. "You know who her mom was?"

"She wrote the best books, and she was…" He grinned, then looked at me and smothered it. Probably also because he had read the books, but…

"A mother, yeah. At least I don't have to explain who she was." I rolled my eyes.

"She's dead? But what about—"

"She had the next book finished, it comes out next year. She never wrote about ghosts, and it can't be her. There has to be some other explanation."

"There is," Nico said.

I flinched. "A little more noise when you wake up is okay."

He nodded slightly, frowning at the floor. "A ship sank just off the coast, killing the irish slaves on board. The rich managed to escape."

I frowned a bit. "How do you…"

He looked up. "A chat with my father."

I nodded slowly. "So a talisman or a piece of the ship, somewhere in the house could be bringing it in."

Dean got up and headed for the door. "Best lead we've had all day. What did you get from the beach to decorate or whatever?"

"I don't know, my mom did all of this before she died and I found out we owned this place afterward. It was already decorated." I hugged myself, trying to think. "But there are a few things that stick out in my mind. There's a compass in the living room, it has some engraving on it. A driftwood table in the bedroom down the hall, and an old map hanging on the wall of the laundry room. If it's not one of those, then I don't know what it could be."

Nico grunted. "Can I please not be tied up?"

"Until we figure out what caused the outburst, you're staying there." Dean pointed at me. "You stay there."

"I can help," I protested.

"You're safe here, let us do our job." Sam almost put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, but stopped himself just short as if just remembering how I woke up just a few moments before.

I blinked at him, then nodded. "Right. Go."

He followed his brother out to collect the suspected haunted things.

Batman trotted after them.

I looked over at Nico. "That one hit me fast."

He nodded. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"Pretty sure that's why you're tied up," I replied, teasing a bit.

He snorted. "Yeah. Like that will stop me if I'm determined to get out."

"But you're not."

He smirked at me.

I stepped back, dread spreading across me like a blanket. "Nico?"

He started chuckling.

"Nico, this isn't funny."

He jerked a shoulder forward and the ropes snapped.

I darted for the weapons.

He tackled me, pinning me with my good arm twisted back. "You're coming with me."

"You're giving me Nico back!" I tried to roll but his grip was like iron.

"Not likely. Not right now."

"Cassie, everything alright up there?" Dean yelled from downstairs.

I went to respond, but Nico's hand held my mouth shut, pinching my nose as well.

"Yeah, Nico just fell over in the chair!" Nico's voice sounded like mine.

I struggled against him, wondering why Batman didn't start barking or something, then remembered that he was downstairs.

Not-Nico leaned in close to my ear. "You know what's easy about this? I can send you into blind panic with just a few words while I have you pinned like this. Isn't trauma such a wonderful tool? Don't get me wrong, your little Greek friend put up a fight, but I knew how to manipulate things just right. He'll take another five minutes to get back here. So, should I start with what will make you panic? Or should I just knock you out to make the trip easier? Good thing those boys are busy with the ghosts, huh?"

I tried to scream, but I couldn't even breathe. I couldn't breathe. Tears sprung to my eyes.

"Hey, Cassie," Sam said, then appeared in the doorway. "Hey!"

A loud bang, and Not-Nico jerked me back and the force was so strong that it took me a couple minutes to see straight again. But I could breath and no one was pinning me down, so that was at least a little better.

"There, all chained up."

I blinked a few times, then looked around and noticed the think cuffs that chained me to wall of the cell.

Not-Nico had transformed into someone else and was smirking at me.

Travis was glaring at the thing from the other side of the cell.

"Travis!" I gasped out.

He looked at me and nodded slightly. "It's going to be okay, Cass."

"Do you know what the benefit of the catholics destroying the texts and monuments of our religion was?" The shape-shifting creature asked, looking over Travis and then me. "Some more classified information was destroyed with it, making it easier to operate. But then the Meddlers faded from view, without the matriarch to teach and initiate the next generation. Thankfully, we found her and we can now initiate the two best candidates. Don't worry. You don't need to tell the Greeks, they won't be able to tell anyway. In fact, it could even make your jobs easier."

I looked desperately at Travis, hoping he understood some of it.

He looked pale, eyes wide. "The…matriarch…"

"Yes, of course. We had to search for a long time to find her. When she realized we were the ones trying to capture her she obviously used her military training to evade detection, and her magical training to counter ours. And with you and your brother living in the world of the Greeks full-time, she couldn't send you messages to let you know she was alive."

I swallowed hard. "His mother. She's the matriarch."

"I thought you'd be quicker to figure that out, Cassie Lynn," The creature mocked me.

Travis just about reached it, but it jumped just out of reach of his chains.

"My, my, what a temper! You'll just hurt yourself you know. Look on the bright side, once the meddlers are reestablished you could break the Cursed One's curse, or just enjoy some time with your mummy." It laughed and walked out of the cell, swinging the door shut.

"What happened after they got me last night?" Travis asked, his voice a little rough.

"Nico and I managed to get in a salt circle and call your grandfather. He called the Winchesters, who are real, by the way. They came to the house. Then I remembered the emergency crystals. Apparently at some point during this time, that thing switched out with Nico. It had to be right after he started helping the boys salt the house." I sat back against the wall. "What is going on?"

"The meddlers are an ancient organization. It takes special sorts of people to become meddlers. Irish and Greek or Roman decent is a must, Norse mixed in helps too. They can…" He seemed to get caught on the words for a moment. "Do a lot of things. The Greek gods, the Roman versions of the Greek gods, none of them can mess with a meddler. That was the whole point, to be able to rebel against the gods."

"Time manipulators, that's what Grandpa called them in Irish."

Travis nodded slowly. "They dream of outcomes, Cassie. They can see to other realities, and can create ones in their minds. Places where they can see how changes play out. A powerful meddler can actually change time, but there were laws made against it within the meddler community."

I let that all process, trying to figure out how all of this played together with what was going on. "Why us?"

"Aside from the Greek and Irish decent?" Travis sat back as well. "Me because my family has a history with them. You…because you're already making yourself a source of change. You're an innovator. Every meddler has a specialty."

"Grandpa is a meddler, isn't he?" I asked, the pieces starting to fall together.

Travis nodded.

"What's his specialty?"

"Artifacts and history. He specializes in Camelot, Albion, all that. But he has a broad range of historical artifacts, and magical artifacts. Think of him as an archival wizard, I guess."

I shook that thought from my head. "Your mother?"

"Matriarchs excel at keeping order, ensuring that the meddlers stay under the radar and that they follow the laws. There's a reason my mom made an excellent Marine. She hadn't been ready to take up the mantle of Matriarch, but my Grandma died suddenly and my aunt wasn't prepared for the role."

"You have an aunt?"

"Maybe, last we saw she was still alive. Grandpa cut her off when she married that—" He cut himself off. "She was apparently too reckless to be a meddler anyway."

"Who else is there?"

Travis shook his head. "Just Grandpa and Mom. Allison is a prime candidate as well, but she's far too strong to get kidnapped."

A door banged open somewhere outside of our cell, then a guard unlocked the cell-door and they dragged in an unconscious Allison, and a hog-tied Connor. They chained them to the walls while Travis hurled insults and threats at them.

They took the gag off of Connor and he spit in the one's eye.

They just laughed and left.

I looked at Allison, then at Travis again. "You were saying something about her being too powerful for them."

He winced, then looked at Connor. "The hell, man? I thought you were safe in camp?"

"Chiron sent me to the convenience store down the street to get some more peroxide for the infirmary. They were running low and I needed to get away for a bit. When did you two get taken and where's Nico?" Connor had a nasty black eye forming.

"Apparently on some wild ride or other. He got taken last night. I got taken…half an hour ago?" If Connor was here, where was Grandpa?

"It's hard to say," Travis answered.

Allison moaned softly, then groaned an, "Ow" before slowly sitting up, using her chains to help her. "Did not see that coming. I feel like I got hit with a brick wall."

"How did they get you?" Travis asked.

She gave a sheepish smile after a moments' thought. "They blasted me into a brick wall."

I shook my head. "You can't be serious."

"I am, unfortunately. I didn't mean to make such a corny pun, though." She studied the chains for a moment, then looked pretty scared. "Tell me we're not where I think we are."

"We're not where you think we are," I told her.

"We're where you know we are," Travis told her, not even letting a beat pass between our sentences.

She bit her lip. "I can't remember if any of my kids were with me."

"I'm sure they're fine." I looked at the ceiling. "Is Peter really the son of Pan?"

"Oh yes, on that I have no doubts. But he's more than that. I hope he's safe. I've made sure that they knew to protect him, but if these things can get me…"

"Sonny! Not helping," Travis interrupted. "All we can do is hope that they're okay."

She nodded, her eyes closing.

Connor cleared his throat. "What's going on?"

Travis explained again, but left out the part about their mom. Once he finished explaining the meddlers, and how we were all prime meddler material, he hesitated.

"Your mother is here. She's the matriarch. They need her to make us meddlers," I explained softly.

Connor looked at me, then at Travis, then back to me. "W-what? Mom…" His breath hitched. "Mom's alive?"

Travis nodded slowly. "That's what the creature that brought Cass here said."

I didn't like seeing them so upset and not being able to even hold their hands or something. I couldn't even clasp my hands together, nevermind trying to get close to anyone else.

"Have you tried—"

Travis cut his brother off with the shake of his head. "Only all night. Can't be picked."

Connor nodded, then sat back against the wall. "So we just wait?"

"What else can we do?" Allison asked, a deadly glare directed at the prison bars. "My magic won't work here and we're weaponless. We're just going to have to hope that either your mom has a plan to help us, or Grandpa rescues us."

I hoped that the Winchesters didn't shoot Nico when they saw him again.


	13. Is Confusion Contagious?

They came for us a few hours later, fighting us down halls and into a huge, circular room. Aside from the entrance we just came from, there were doors spaced about a foot apart covering the walls, even on the second and third floors…was that a fourth floor as well?

I was too tired to fight right now, and the room too intriguing, so I made sure to try and take it all in.

In the center of floor was a circular pool of water that glowed blue. Strange runes were carved on the ledge around the pool of water, and on each of the arching doorways. All of the doors were made from the same rich, dark wood, and had metal plaques with the same strange writing on them.

Opposite from us, was a cloaked figure, decidedly feminine.

The Matriarch.

"Allison Freya Eastburn, Travis Merlin Stoll, Connor Arthur Stoll, and Cassandra Lynn Dellaro: You will step forward." A man said off to my left.

For some strange reason, we all did.

The Matriarch slowly reached up and guided her hood back from her face until it rested on her shoulders. Her face was unreadable, no emotion discernible.

But the resemblance to her sons was clear. Her curly hair was more tamed, and pulled back into an elaborate hairdo, but it was the same curly mass. Those blue eyes, like her father's and like her sons'. They had her cheekbones. If Hermes was the sharp edge of Travis and Connor's looks, she was blunt edge, softer and graceful looking.

"The time has come for initiates to be added to the fold of the meddlers. The time draws near that the meddlers will be needed again." Her voice was clear, with a slight accent to it, either English or Irish, I couldn't tell. Maybe it was a mixture of both. "Guardians of reality, to keep order, whatever may come. A guardian of magic and healing, a guardian to train and fight, a guardian to help and to seek, and a guardian of changes. Some abilities will be shared, for all meddlers have abilities in these realms. But you will all have specialties. I brand you as one of us—"

I gasped as the searing pain on my left arm started.

"You may enter the pool, one at a time."

Part of me was screaming to run, we weren't chained anymore. I should run. I should run and get away from these crazy people.

But that part wasn't winning.

I watched as Allison walked, trance-like into the pool, plunging in and disappearing.

Travis was more hesitant, stopping at the edge and looking at his mother. Maybe it was all of his emotions involving her that gave him the clarity of mind to do that. "Mom?"

She blinked slowly.

His shoulders straightened and he stepped into the pool, disappearing as Allison had.

Connor almost glanced back at me, but he must have been caught in the same daze I was, because he hopped into the pool as well.

I managed to look up at the room, notice that it wasn't four, but seven stories taller, then stepped into the water as well.

I came up gasping, the water was freezing.

"Cassie?" Sam grabbed one of my hands as I thrashed out, then he and Dean pulled me out and hurried me inside. It was snowing.

I frowned and looked around. I was back in Montauk.

Travis was in a chair.

Nico was tied up again, but when he saw me, he looked desperate to make sure I was okay, despite the gag.

"G-g-good, th-th-thh-they did-dn't sh-sh-shoot-t y-you," I said through chattering teeth.

Travis looked up a bit, but he seemed as out of it as I felt.

"You've been missing for two hours, and you reappear in the pool, you're lucky we were outside." Dean aggressively wrapped a blanket around me, then turned up the fireplace. "And this guy appeared in the bathroom, we haven't gotten a word out of him yet.

I nodded, shivering too much to actually speak.

Sam came back with a couple towels. "You need to get into dry clothes."

I nodded again looking toward the stairs.

Dean just picked me up, and carried me up the stairs, then made sure that I was okay, and waited outside of my room while I shivered into dry clothes.

"You okay?" He asked after a couple minutes.

"F-fine!" I pulled a couple blankets off the bed and pulling them around me. I shuffled to the door and opened it. "Thanks for the lift."

He nodded, not looking amused. He just looked grumpy. It was like a permanent look for him. "You want to explain what happened?"

I shivered a bit. "It was the meddlers."

He frowned at me. "I don't speak whatever that language is."

I frowned back. "What?"

"You just switched languages." Dean headed toward the stairs again. "That thing took you, how do we know that you're not one of them."

"Test me, I guess. Silver would burn me, right? But seriously, I just told you what happened. It was in a different language?"

"Yeah," He replied shortly.

"Look, I get that you don't like me, or kids or something but I was just dumped into freezing water, could you maybe put that aside for about three minutes because I'm too cold to deal with a Mr. Grumpygills."

"Did you just make a reference to Finding Nemo?"

"What do you think, Mr. Grumpgills?" I took the stairs slowly, refusing to go as fast as he was. Guess he really didn't like me, he didn't even contradict that statement.

He gave me a strange look, stopping to switch his weapon to the other hand. "Would you stop calling me that?"

"Only when you stop being it, old man."

"I am not old!"

"You're older than my mom was."

"You don't know how old I am."

"You're thirty seven. She was thirty-five." I folded my arms under the blankets. "Now, seriously. It was the meddlers that took us. They…the last sentence I said turned to gibberish, didn't it?"

He nodded.

I groaned. "Oh, I hate my life!"

Nico made an indignant sound from the living room.

"You know what I mean!" I yelled. Then I glared at the floor. "You can be a Mr. Grumpygills. I'm done criticizing you for it. Try splashing Travis with cold water, I'll try calling Grandpa."

Dean stopped me, lowering his voice and looking serious. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you?"

I frowned a bit, everything that had happened was becoming a bit fuzzy. My arm really hurt…

I shrugged off the blankets and didn't even fight my sleeve, just pulled from the shoulder until I could see the tattoo on my arm. A strange symbol next to a Celtic knot, a Norse rune and a version of the Greek lower-case letter sigma.

Dean stepped closer and looked. "That's a new one. Sam, we've got a clue."

"What is this, Scooby-Doo and Gang?" I asked.

He didn't respond, nodding toward me once we were close to Sam. "Check it out. See if you recognize it from your reading."

Sam came over, frowning over it. "I've never seen the one symbol, but the others look familiar."

I was racking my brain. "The one is a Norse rune…Ansuz maybe? The other is a version of sigma, like a lower case. The last…" I shook my head.

Sam pointed to my school tablet. "Can I use that?"

"Yeah, go ahead. The code is 1203."

Dean gave me a questioning look.

I shrugged. "It's my birthday."

Nico was glaring at me.

"Winter isn't officially here until the twenty-first. I didn't lie. My birthday is technically in the fall, okay? I think of it as fall, because snow usually has melted again." I put a pillow under his head.

"You were right about both of those. According to this chart, Ansuz means communication, insight, truth and wisdom. Does that mean anything to you?" Sam asked.

I shivered. "You could say that."

"Do any groups use these symbols together?" Dean asked.

"Um…" Sam did a quick search. "Electrical cords…"

"I don't think that's what you're looking for." I shuffled to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

"Can't you just tell us?"

"Been there, tried that, came out gibberish." I shuffled back, then tossed the glass of water into Travis' face.

"Dah! What the heck?!" He looked around, then blinked at me a couple times. "Cassie? How'd we get back here?"

"Well, I appeared above the pool and plummeted in. You appeared in the bathtub." I set the glass down and stood next to the fire place. Blessed heat.

"What about the Celtic knot thing?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam frowned, then looked at me. "Can I see it again?"

I pushed my sleeve up this time, and left it up so that he could continue to reference it.

"Quarternary, symbolizes balance, nature, the four seasons, the four directions, the four elements, and is sometimes thought to be a protective mark. Can also symbolize the four treasures of Tuatha, the Latin gospels, the Celtic fire festivals, is the emblem of Brigid. The symbol on the other side of sigma looks like a zodiac sign. You said your birthday is the third?"

I nodded.

Travis got up, looking shaken. "Why is Nico tied up?"

"Didn't know if he was an enemy or not," Dean said in a suspicious voice.

"He's not," Travis said, pulled a knife from his pocket and cutting the ropes holding Nico. "Cass, why didn't you free him?"

"You heard the part about the freezing water, right?" I asked, just now realizing what Sam had asked. I grabbed my arm and turned it so that I could see the other symbols I hadn't before.

Dean noticed it too. "That wasn't there before. Neither was that other one."

Travis looked at it, then looked at the floor, his thoughts and emotions veiled.

I looked back at my arm. "Triple infinity symbol."

"Symbol of Sagittarius."

"But we still don't know what this one is?" I tentatively touched the unknown symbol. It was sort of shaped like a C, but it definitely wasn't a C. Thankfully touching didn't hurt. It was like it had always been there. It definitely hid some of the scarring from getting my arm injured and then cut off. Not completely, since the scar went all the way around, but it hid the largest spot of scarring.

Dean came over to look closer at it. "How do you have a scar all the way around your arm?"

"Connor cut it off, Will put it back on," I shrugged. "Permanent nerve damage, but I didn't completely lose my mind."

He didn't respond to that, except to turn to Travis. "You have one of these too?"

Travis hesitated, then nodded. "It's on my shoulder."

"Same or different?" I asked.

He shrugged, then pulled off his shirt and turned so we could see.

It was similar, it had the same celtic design, and sigma underneath that. The strange symbol on his had one part shaped like mine, but the top part of it was different. He had the runes Eihwaz and Tiwaz, and what must have been his zodiac sign, but looked like roman-numeral two. And an Acorn.

"What the heck is all of this for? I never wanted a tattoo. I think they're stupid," I grumbled, going back to the fire place. "I definitely never wanted to be branded."

Travis didn't say anything.

Sam went back to researching after taking a picture of Travis' tattoo, and one of mine. "I might not be able to find anything online, but maybe I can when we get back to the bunker."

Dean looked at his phone. "Calls aren't going through to Gareth. We'll stay tonight. Put the circle in here. You three try to get some sleep. Sam and I will get the circle in place."

I almost protested, but he put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"He's the only adult I see, and he still seems to be in shock or something. We don't know what's going on, but we told Gareth we'd help you." He switched his shot-gun to the other hand, then left. Probably to get the salt.

I felt confused. I mean, did he like me? Did he dislike me? What was up with him?

Travis stood up all the way. "I'll grab some blankets and stuff. Cass, are those your blankets on the stairs?"

I nodded.

Nico gave me a quick hug. "I'll keep an eye on him."

I nodded again, then waited until they had made it up the stairs to turn to Sam.

He looked focused on the screen, but he glanced up and gave a bit of a smile.

"I can't tell if your brother absolutely hates me, or if he's just always grumpy."

He smiled. "He likes you. He just always feels like he needs to protect everyone and he knows he already failed once today. Not to mention you guys are well armed and not exactly surprised by all of this."

I hugged myself, giving an attempt at a smile. "Where was he eight months ago?" I joked half-heartedly.

"Who takes care of you?" Sam asked, looking after the boys.

"Travis is my legal guardian. My half-brother on our father's side. Jacob checks in on us, and another friend, Allison, she stops in when she can. Grandpa Stoll will pop by when things are really bad to try and alleviate some of the burden. He was there a lot during the trial."

"Trial for what?" Dean asked, setting down the bag of salt.

"Against the group of boys that drugged and raped me."

Dean had a weird look on his face. "How did that end up?"

"Two of them ended up in Juvie, the two of the others got sentenced as adults and put in jail. The last was about to be sentenced, but he got in a car accident on the way to the court. He's in a full-body cast. I sent flowers. Mom always said to kill with kindness. Apparently when he heard they were from me he asked if they were poisonous or something and wouldn't calm down until they were removed. When Nico found out about that, he sent stuffed animals. Similar reaction. Does it make me a bad person that it kind of felt good to hear that guy had that reaction?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"I probably would have shot them." Dean started pouring the salt in a circle around the center of the living room.

"There were offers to have that done, as well as stabbing," I said, trying to lighten the tone. "Anyway, it changed some things for the better at my school and in my community and I guess it's helped people, hearing my story. So, some good came of it. Who knows, right? Maybe this experience will help me help a lot of other people. Are you guys hungry? Cause I am." I headed for the kitchen to try and figure out something I could make really quickly.

"You're gonna cook?" Dean looked scared.

"Seriously?" Nico asked, looking excited. "I'm starving!"

I rolled my eyes. "No, you really aren't."

"My stomach says otherwise. What are you going to make?"

"Umm…" I looked in the fridge and then the cupboards. "Well, I have all of the ingredients for the turkey and ham dish I was telling you about. Or I could make turkey tacos. Or I could just make scalloped potatoes and ham. Or I could attempt turkey-pot-pie or stew."

"Do the turkey and ham thing, it looked so good on that show." Nico hopped onto one of the chairs.

I nodded. "Bring it up, would you?"

He grabbed his school tablet and pulled up the Masterclass British baking show.

I pulled up the recipe on my phone and started on it while he messed with the show, cutting the leeks and waiting while the butter melted in the pan.

Once Dean was done with the salt circle, he came over to observe.

I pointed to the turkey and ham on the counter. "Why don't you cut that for me."

He shrugged and got to it.

I put the zest and juice into the pan, then the leeks, and left that to simmer and work on chopping up the tarragon, and measuring out the stock and cream. I had made the pastry yesterday, because I thought I would be making it yesterday so I didn't have to worry about that, except to roll it out and put it on.

A lot of cooking later and half an hour of baking and then I was calling them all back to the kitchen to get their food and eat.

Sam and Dean ate like they hadn't eaten real food in a while.

Nico grinned. "It is good."

I rolled my eyes and kept eating, pretty pleased that I managed to make it well.

"Yeah, this is great," Dean said, continuing to eat as soon as he finished speaking.

"Hunger is the best sauce," I murmured.

Even Travis was eating with vigor. Probably helped that none of us had had lunch. Or breakfast.

After everyone was pretty much done, Nico did the dishes. "I don't think we're going to make it back to school in time."

Travis groaned. "Shoot. That's my area, isn't it?"

"Happy adulting," I told him with a smile.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll do it first thing in the morning."

Sam and Dean went back to warding the house and preparing for the ghostly invasion.

"You guys try to get some sleep. We'll handle things until the ghosts show up." Sam helped Travis move the extra chair outside of the circle so there was more room for sleepers.

I didn't argue, considering it a futile effort at this point. I needed some sleep. Maybe then I could process what all had happened in the past twenty-four hours.


	14. Resolution?

**AN: Hey, I know that the past couple parts were confusing and weird. Hopefully either this post helps, or you can forgive me. Sorry if I've ruined it for you. It's my story. Let me put it this way, last story was mostly character building, this story is problem solving and some adventure.**

The moment I opened my eyes, I knew I had to be dreaming. I knew that the Winchesters, Travis, and Nico were all camped out in the living room with me when I went to sleep.

I did not go to sleep in a circular room. And I certainly wouldn't have slept with the Matriarch in the same building, let alone three feet from me.

"Cassandra," She said in a calm voice, smiling gently. "You've grown so much since I last saw you. You look like your mother."

"Well," I started, but stopped when I already heard the snark in my voice.

She smiled a little more, her eyes sparkling. "I've come to teach you."

I hesitated. "Teach me what?"

"How to be a meddler, of course."

"I'm not sure I want that." I stepped back.

She either didn't hear me or she decided to ignore me. "This is your world-room. We'll start your training with a simple copy of the current world you live in." She waved her hand and a door appeared, same as those in the room we had last been together in. Dark wood, runes carved into the arching doorway, and a metal plate.

I frowned. "A copy?"

"For you to learn on. It's only real in our minds."

"Are you sure?"

"I am fairly certain, yes." She gestured to teh door. "Shall we?"

I gulped, then reached out and turned the door handle, then let it swing away from me. There was a strange light that emanated from it.

She took my hand. "It will become easier as you grow accustomed to it." She gently pulled me into the strange light and then we were in a park. Central park.

I looked around, then at my hands. "What is this?"

"Central Park. I thought it might be easier if we don't start with another-body experience. We could go to an earlier point in history, but I think for now it's best if we start here. You know how the people of Danu use compulsions to manipulate people?"

I nodded slowly.

She looked around, then nodded toward where a homeless person was asking for money. "Go tell someone to give him money."

I looked around, too curious not to try it. Finally, I spotted a man in a suit and went over. "Hey, you should give that homeless person some money."

The man walked right through me—trippy—but he did as I said, pulling a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and handing it to the homeless man before walking on as if nothing had happened.

"I don't understand, was that me, or did he do that of his own determination."

"That was you. Eventually you'll be able to do it with just a thought. Now, watch the homeless man." She turned me back toward the homeless man.

He was staring at the hundred dollars, but as I watched I could see how he would get up, I could see how he would take it back to where he usually stayed the night, I could see how in the morning he would go to a thrift store and buy the pieces of a suit, and a child's winter coat. I saw him give that coat to a homeless child, then go to a gym and sneak into the showers. When he came out, he was dressed in the suit. He went and applied to jobs all over the city, him getting a job…

I shook my head and looked away. "Nobody should have this kind of power."

"We only have this power because it isn't real." She flicked her fingers and everything went into rewind until the moment before I had compelled the man to give money. It played out differently this time, with the man in the suit passed by the homeless person, his phone ringing and distracting him from even noticing.

I stared a moment. "What good does this do me?"

"While you're young, it can help you make decisions. Or you can use it to build dream worlds."

"Dream worlds?"

"You're a writer, no?" She asked. "Think of this as making the world that you write come to life. These are all theoretical worlds. When you're older, when you come of age, then you'll start seeing the real world aspects of being a meddler."

"How do we leave?" I asked, then flinched because we were back in the circular room.

She shrugged. "You decide to leave. This is all in your head, remember. Think of it as a mind palace, just…bigger."

I nodded slowly. "Mind palace, got it. Does that mean I could access memories?"

"Your abilities give you more control over it, so yes."

"And the tattoo?"

She shrugged. "Identification, so that other meddlers can recognize you and you can recognize other meddlers. Most are symbols of power for you, or defining features. You're a saggitarious, and Ansuz is your ideal rune. Triple infinity is highly representative of who we are. I'll explain that another night. For now, imagine another door. Beyond that door, a different world. The world you want, or that you're curious about."

"Like the multiverse in DC comics?"

"Very similar, yes."

I nodded, then closed my eyes and tried to think of something.

"Good," She praised.

I opened my eyes. This door was different. It was still rounded on top, and there were still runes around it, but the door itself was made of birds-eye-maple, highly polished. The plate on it was blank.

She gestured toward it. "Shall we see what you came up with?"

I nodded, opening the door and stepping in, hoping it was the world I thought it was.

It definitely was.

She looked around. "Let me guess, a change in the turnout of the Revolutionary war?"

"Well, I've always been curious about what would happen," I answered. "But no, I did what would happen if the King had died before the war was through."

She arched an eyebrow. "Where are we?"

I shrugged. "Michigan."

"Strange," She murmured. "Alright, show me how it's different?"

It was weird, moving here. It was like flying, but not, and soon we were in New York, Manhattan.

"Whoa," I looked around.

"How early on did he die?"

I shrugged. "I just said before the war was through, I didn't think of a specific time."

We both flinched back as a full-on brawl began in the streets.

"What time are we?"

"Nineties?" I guessed, then glanced at the skyline. No Chrysler building, no Empire State Building, no Twin Towers?

"Well, I think you have an interesting world here. Want to try changing something here? Or scrap it?"

I frowned, watching the fighting. Then I looked around. "Women never got the vote, slavery never ended, it's completely different. I would have thought that a quicker end to the war would lead to a stronger nation, a more prosperous one."

"Maybe you're right, but that's not how it played out here. You could go back and see what happened, maybe change it. In this world you have complete control."

I sighed. "How do I just sleep?"

"You go back to your mind palace and climb into bed."

"Does it make a difference if I do this or just sleep?"

"No, though sometimes your dreams as a halfblood may be the first thing to come up. I don't know what will happen if that does. I don't personally have experience with it."

"But don't our minds need time to rest?"

"Yes, physically. And our minds are resting physically, in our bodies. Think of this not only as a dream, but a sort of out-of-body experience. You could even wish me away once you're trained well enough. Or invite others in."

I looked at the sky again. "Could I use it to help people?"

"Of course, our whole existance was to help people. To provide balance for those on the other side of the scales." She gently touched my shoulder. "Most people won't remember being in one of these worlds when they wake up. It will just be a good dream."

I nodded slowly. "What about coma patients?"

She pursed her lips, tilting her head slightly as she thought about it. "I guess it's time someone actually thought of that and tried it out."

I smiled. "Seriously? No one's ever thought of it before?"

"Sometimes things get overlooked. Sometimes there's a reason for someone being in a coma. Sometimes we won't like it."

I felt my smile fade. "Like they're supposed to actually be dead?"

She waited a moment, looking pensive, then gave a small nod. "We live in a state of flux, choices and the consequences of them, and things that we cannot choose and must live with. Meddlers have so much compassion, don't let the weariness of sorrow, pain, or anger destroy it. We care too much, but we also learn to let go. Because we can see if something was absolutely necessary."

"Like?"

She gave me a skeptical look. "Like seeing if things would really change so drastically if a mother had lived."

I blinked at her. "I could do that?"

She nodded. "Lord knows I did. I don't recommend it. Usually, out there, things happen the way they must."

"With or without us?"

She smiled. "I'm a firm believer that there isn't just chaos out there."

I nodded. "I've always felt like that."

"It's unusual. Hold on tightly to that belief."

I realized we were back in my circular room.

She took a deep breath, then smiled at me. "I'll come to teach you more tomorrow night."

"Wait, I don't understand though. Why now? Why do this now? On top of everything?"

Her face held no amusement. "Because you need to be able to stand a fighting chance against the Tuatha, and against the gods. You're mixed blood, and that's dangerous, because it rubs the curtain between worlds. And it hasn't just been you. It's been your friends as well. Mixing with the Norse, the Egyptians, Romans, and now the Celts? There are only temporary solutions to holding the curtains in place. Once they are gone, there will need to be people who help make sure as little fighting as humanly possible occurs. You'll remember that when it's most important."

"What?" I asked, wondering what that meant. I knew she had answered me, but I couldn't remember what she had said. What had she said?

"I should leave you to explore. Your watch will show the time in the real world. Avoid yourself until I have trained you."

I nodded, mostly just feeling confused.

She disappeared.

I looked at the door that I had made, and wondered if I could change what was behind it. It was like a video game. It was like that anime show Nico and I had binge-watched, Sword Art Online. I could create a world, and play it like a video game, but at the same time I could see what would happen.

That felt like a dangerous game.

But I was also drawn to it.

The plaque on the door had changed to say "Blank World".

I blinked at the plaque, then went back in. It was just pure nature. No people, if there were animals, I didn't see any, and it was quiet. So quiet.

I wandered through the meadow, only the wind making noise as it rushed through the grasses and trees. Flowers were in bloom. It was spring.

"Bees would love this place," I murmured, smelling a flower.

Almost instantly I knew that there were now honey-bees and bumble bees.

"Blank, huh?" It made sense now. It was something I had complete control over. I mean, if I decided that on this place animals could have animal babies with any other animal, it would happen. I could have a cog. A dat?

One appeared.

I stared for a moment, then shook my head. "No. Nevermind. You're weird-looking."

It disappeared.

She really had meant it when she said I could create worlds for my stories.

And I could write stories about these worlds.

I shook my head and left it. Even if she said it didn't affect my head, I didn't want to chance it.

There was a door that had been behind me in the circular room. It led to the rest of the building, the rest of my mind palace. Pictures on the wall, videos on the TV. It was a bedroom, like I always pretended to have as a kid. One that was in a castle.

"Huh." I went to the bed. It was like a cloud. "Sucks that I know I'll wake up on the floor."

But I got in it and lay down.

I don't know if I dreamed after that, but I woke up on the floor.

"Oh man, that's just rude." I pushed myself up.

"Good timing," Dean said.

I looked around. The ghosts were back.

"Can you wake up Sam and the others."

"Yes, yes I can." I scrambled to my feet and gave Sam a firm shaking, then flicked Travis on the forehead and pulled Nico onto his feet.

"Noooo," Nico protested.

"Ghosts, Nico. Ghosts."

"What does my dad want now?"

"The other kind, Nico."

Sam was on his feet already.

Travis was slower, but he was definitely more aware than Nico was.

"There are only three kinds…" Nico started, yawning.

"These are the kind that want to kill you," Travis snapped.

Nico blinked a little and looked around. "Mother—"

I elbowed him. "Language. You can see them now?"

He nodded emphatically. "They're weird, but yeah, I can see them."

I nodded. "Dean, what do we do?"

Sam and Dean exchanged looks that seemed to say they had no clue.

"Tell me you know what to do. Please."

Batman barked at the ghosts, but he was backing into the circle.

"These ghosts already took you two, we didn't think they'd be back. We were just being cautious." Sam finally spoke up.

Dean shot one that got too close to our circle.

We all cringed at the eir-piercing scream.

Travis stepped closer to me and Nico. "Are we going to have to do that with all of them?"

"God, I hope not," Dean said, looking like he regretted doing it in the first place.

I closed my eyes, trying to figure it out. Salt and Iron. Sage calmed them. Restless dead. Nico couldn't see them. Worked for the shapeshifters to get us to the meddlers but weren't interested in Nico, or either of the Winchesters before…so were they now?

I looked around at the ghosts. Yes, they were all approaching the circle and facing our circle. But were they looking at us, or…

My gaze drifted over the objects in the circle. The couch, the chair, the coffee table, with a couple magazines on it, a side table with a lamp and a picture of me and mom on it, and a seashell.

I grabbed the seashell, watching the ghosts, and moved it to the coffee table.

No reaction.

I had a sinking feeling.

"Cass, what are you doing?" Nico hissed.

I grabbed the photo, taking it out of the frame. I watched the ghosts as I put the frame on the coffee table.

Holy Hermes, I hated being right.

I clenched a fist and walked to the edge of the circle, and held up the photo.

The gazes of all of the ghosts were fixed on it.

Dean gently took it from me, glancing at it. "You have a copy of this one?"

I nodded.

Sam pulled me away from the edge of the circle.

Dean set it outside of the circle.

The nearest ghost snatched it up and then screamed, that awful scream

They all disappeared.

Dean turned and looked at me. "We'll find out why they wanted the picture. A big group of ghosts are kind of hard to hide. If they strike again, we'll find them."

I nodded a bit.

Sam was still holding onto me, but he slowly released me once he could see I was standing on my own. "Will you guys be okay on your own?"

"Grandpa should be back eventually. We've got the salt and iron ideas down," I told him.

Travis nodded. "I'll try an Iris message."

"A what?" Dean asked.

I tossed the prism to Travis, who cause it easily and set it up so that the flashlight was creating a big rainbow.

He pulled out a drachma. "Oh goddess, accept my offering." He tossed the coin into the rainbow.

I sighed in relief as it disappeared.

"Gareth Stoll, United States?" Travis sounded like he was guessing the location.

It shimmered then showed a shed.

"Grandpa?" Travis said, looking around.

He popped into view. "Oh, hello. Yes, I am…um…I believe I'm in Washington…so, I'm trying to get back, however I had a slight problem with a…whatever this is. I'll have to meet you all back in Michigan. How's the ghost issue?"

"Seems to be cleared for now," Travis answered.

"Sam and I are going to keep looking into it." Dean was looking at the iris message like he wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Right, like I said before, I owe you boys a few. How'd you get Travis back?"

"They didn't grandpa, we were released. The family thing." Travis's anger was barely concealed, and I could tell he was fighting back a glare.

Grandpa frowned. "What?"

"We'll explain when we see you, travel safely." I jumped in before Travis could snap a reply.

He nodded slowly. "You as well."

I swiped through it. "It's not his fault."

Travis nodded sharply. "I know."

"That was convincing. Try again."

"I know it's not his fault. He doesn't even know mom's alive. I'm not mad at him. I'm mad at her."

I met his gaze. "Let it go. We have no room for resentment. Family is everything, remember? She's alive. We don't know what's keeping her away, or what's kept her away. But she's back. You heard that thing, she was hiding from them. If she wants to come back in the right way, she has to be found by military. So you have to wait for that call."

Travis nodded.

Nico cleared his throat. "Your serious voice is kind of scary."

"Good." I folded my arms and smirked at him. "Somebody has to scare you."

Dean looked somewhat amused, fixing his gaze on me. "You sure you'll be okay?"

I thought about it, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, relatively. I'll survive. Hopefully live too. Get stronger so that when the next trial comes I have a little more strength to stand. What about you guys?"

"We'll manage."

"If you're ever in the Tri-State area of Michigan, look me up. I'll cook you guys dinner. Take whatever you want from the fridge too, we have to pack most of it up anyway."

"You sure?"

"My resources aren't exactly lacking, and I have this weird thing about helping others, it's like a drug."

"She's addicted." Nico nudged me.

I put an arm around his shoulders. "Me and my brothers will be fine."

"But if you want to help us scare her boyfriend—"

"You like Malcolm!" I cut Travis off.

He just gave me a grin, a little of his old self showing.

"Doesn't mean we don't want to put the fear of Hades in him," Nico muttered.

I released him and shoved him onto the couch. "You're both ridiculous."

Sam smiled. "I think you'll be fine."

I hugged him real quick, then Dean. "Better believe it."


	15. Confidant

**AN: Sorry, got burnt out by school and junk. Headaches, weather. I'm ready for Christmas. Are you?**

I stared blankly at the whiteboard. This class didn't seem to want to end. I wanted to get home. Do some research on where to find the ingredients for breaking the curse and check to see if Sam Winchester had emailed me any new information on the ghost-mob. I wanted to see if I could find any sort of myths about meddlers. I also needed to work on homework, the safehouses, the stories of my mom's…

On second thought, maybe sitting in a classroom wasn't that bad.

"Cassie, that was the school bell. Class is over," Johnny mock-whispered.

I blinked and glanced around. "Oh."

"You and Nico still coming over for pizza before we go back to your place to work on that historic village model?"

I winced. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me. I totally spaced."

"No problem, besides, it's about time you saw how crazy my family is. Nico's seen some of it."

"How many siblings do you have again?"

"Two older, Juni, eight younger, so…eleven. Hopefully it stops there because my oldest brother is getting married and my youngest siblings is about seven months old." He shook his head, looking slightly exasperated.

"Yikes," was the only response I could give.

He nodded. "Yeah, my next younger sibling, Jamie, she's going to be coming here next semester. She was going to the public school, but she's not being challenged and she's having some serious issues with the other students. This place is a little more tailored, smaller classes."

"Right, and the others are?"

"Next is Lizzie, she's eleven. Then Maddie, who is eight and crazy. Megan is after her, she's four and a half, the half is very important, and she's quiet and mostly likes to read and color or sit with me while I do schoolwork. Lily is three, Max and May are two, and then Kaylee is the youngest and she likes to scream in the middle of the night."

I shook my head. "And then you have older siblings?"

"Kristina who is dating a jerk, and has become a jerk herself. And Drew, who just got hired into a group working on a cure for cancer," He said, looking tired.

"What does Kristina do?"

"She managed to land an assistant job to the editor of some magazine that Mom said will never enter our house."

I winced. "That's great."

"Oh yeah, are you sure you want to enter my house? My twin sister is still home too."

"Oh? How's that going?"

"She put a snake in my bed."

"A garter snake?"

"I wish."

I shuddered. "What kind?"

"It was just a corn snake, but any unfamiliar snake in a bed is just…not cool." He made a face. "I didn't even know she had a pet snake. Neither did mom."

I opened my locker. "Not cool. Anything I should know before I meet her?"

"She's gonna hate you because you're my friend."

I shrugged. "I'll survive. Nico tell you about our Thanksgiving break?"

"The reason why you guys came back late, yeah. They're real?"

"They're real," I confirmed. "Which just makes me feel crazier. Because…I don't even know why. Ever feel like you're walking on the edge of a knife and you're either about to fall to either side for face first onto the blade?"

"Um, wow, that's a little darker than I expected. Um, yeah I guess so. I mean, I kind of felt like that earlier this year. After you ended up in the hospital. Cassie, is something else going on?" He looked concerned.

I shrugged. "What isn't? Honestly, just be glad you aren't a part of any of the crazy things that I am. I just…sometimes I just feel like running away from it all. Finding a quiet place. A peaceful place." I closed my eyes. "Then I remember that I would be abandoning the people I care about, and I read a book instead."

"Sounds like you're burning out. Good thing it's the weekend? Your birthday is on Sunday."

I made a face before I could stop myself.

"Yeah, told me. What's up with your birthday, anyway? Don't you want to celebrate?"

I met his gaze and shook my head. "No, I really don't. I don't even want to celebrate Christmas."

His concern grew. "Why?"

"You have to ask?"

He dropped his gaze to the floor. "Your mom?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be okay, going into Thanksgiving. I thought I could do it, do something different and still be happy even though she wasn't there. Honestly, if it hadn't been for Travis, I probably would have ended up crying on Thanksgiving because I couldn't handle it. Then everything that happened after that, it's like I can't have anything good going on without trouble finding me. I just…I don't know how much more I can take." I closed my locker door, trying to calm myself.

"Nico know?"

"No," I said firmly. "He would think that he was the problem and he's not. He's amazing."

Johnny nodded slowly. "Okay, so, can I ask why you're telling me? Aside from the fact that I'm your friend, and I am concerned about you. Because I don't think you've told anybody about this. Which is funny, because you have two, technically three brothers, a boyfriend, some other friends that you're tight with that I've never met, even an adopted grandfather and father figure. But you're telling me?"

I swallowed hard.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Come on, let's get outside." He took my hand and led me out into fresh air, over to one of the gardens on the grounds.

Thankfully it was abandoned.

"Alright," He said and sat us on a bench. "What's going on?"

I took a deep breath, staring at one of the wilting hostas. "I think a war is coming, and I don't know how to stop it. I thought I had done enough, but I didn't. I wake up and I just want to go back to sleep. I feel like every world that I'm a part of is looking at me and expecting me to do the impossible and I don't know what it is. They want me to help lead Camp Halfblood. I'm being pulled deeper into the Celtic world and on top of both of those having a claim on my life, now something new, something I don't understand is in it. Something I can't even talk about. It's a part of all of them, but separate and it's cool. Really, it's something I'd never imagine possible. But…I can't even really remember the purpose behind it. She said I would remember when the time was right. Why can't I remember now? And then there's Malcolm. When I'm with him, I feel happy. I feel safe. But we're so far from each other and I feel like…maybe I rushed into something. I mean, I tried to be careful and not rush into anything, but what if I did? I mean, what's the point of even dating when we're this young?" I had hopped up and was pacing.

Johnny got up and pulled me into a firm hug. He didn't say anything.

"I don't want to be strong, I don't want to do schoolwork, or act my age, I just want to scream at the world that I want my mom…I want to go back to the way things were. I can't handle it. I can't handle what the future holds and I want to just hide under the blankets until it goes away. I don't want to celebrate my birthday, I don't want to celebrate Christmas. Please don't make me." I was crying now.

"I won't." He whispered, gently rubbing my back.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to calm down.

"Shh, it's okay."

"Please don't tell Travis or Nico," I said, pulling away.

He shook his head. "I won't." He gently wiped a tear from my face. "You said you're considered the guardian of secrets at your camp? Well, even the guardian of secrets needs someone to tell their secrets to. However, you might have wanted to tell Nico that you don't want to celebrate your birthday."

I wiped my eyes. "Why?"

He gave a nervous smile. "It was supposed to be a surprise. I mean, we were going to tell you on the way over, but…mostly a surprise."

"I hate surprises," I said, rubbing my temples. "All of our friends are gathering at my house, aren't they?"

"Surprise?"

"That's why we're going to your house first, so that they can set up the birthday party?"

"Yeah, we were going to get there and find out that my parents decided to forego pizza, Nico was going to suggest we just head back to your house for pizza after you guys met the rest of my family and I changed out of this since I got spaghetti sauce on it, then we were going to go back and tell you once we got to the house that we had gotten all of your friends here. Somehow. Even your friends from the camps."

I stared at him. "I'm going to kill you both."

"Yeah, we deserve it."

I gave a sort of whining groan, and dropped back onto the bench. "I don't want to go."

"I know that now," He said, his voice sympathetic. "If it helps, we were going to do crappy Karaoke, dancing, pizza, ice cream and cake, more dancing and then watch a movie like Guardians of the Galaxy two. And there are presents."

"Why? Why are there presents?"

He shrugged. "We forgot to say no presents."

I shook my head. "I can't do this, Johnny. I can't. I cannot go to that party."

"Yes, you can. I've got your back and we both know Nico would feel awful if this bombed."

I glared at him. "You had to pull that one out."

"You needed motivation. Don't worry, I'll make sure to take him off your hands tomorrow so you can have the day to yourself to do nothing. I don't want you doing anything productive. Okay? I want you to do things that make you happy. Like read, or binge-watch shows and play computer games. You're already almost done with homework and we can work on our model town some other time. It's not due until right before break anyway." He helped me to my feet.

I sighed. "Can you drive Nico to your place? I'm going to need some extra time to look normal."

"Sure thing," He said. "I'll go find him now. You have the directions?"

I nodded. "I'll see you there."


	16. Birthday Party

I arched an eyebrow.

Johnny glared at his twin. "Juni—"

"Oh stuff it! You and your—"

"Juni!" Their mother snapped, giving her a stern look. "If you aren't going to be polite, you can go clean your sister's room since you trashed it."

She glared at their mother, then shot us another hostile look and stormed out of the room.

I leaned over slightly so I could whisper, "I did just ask her where she got her shoes, right?"

Lizzie nodded, glancing nervously after her older sister.

"Huh." I straightened out and continued to stand with her and Nico like nothing had happened. "You were about to introduce me to your youngest sibling."

Johnny nodded slightly, carrying the baby over to us. "This is Kaylee, like I said before, her hobbies are screaming in the middle of the night and sleeping."

"Hi," I said softly, grinning at her. She was adorable.

Nico shook his head. "You're also ridiculously attatched to her."

"She's my sister, I'm pretty sure that takes it away from being ridiculous." Johnny let Jamie take Kaylee from him.

"He's way over-protective," Jamie told us, rolling her eyes. "You should have seen him when one of my classmates came over to work on our science project."

"He is protective, isn't he? That's not entirely a bad thing. Though how he finds time to spend with all of you, and get good grades, and spend time with us, and be quarterback of the football team…I will never know or understand." I folded my arms a bit. "I'm freaking out with just school and family, friends a little."

Nico snorted. "Understatement."

I shook my head.

Johnny nodded. "Such an understatement, that I'm afraid it's basically a lie. Cassie is no longer a good role model for you guys, sorry." He guided them out of the room. Then gave us a smile. "I got lucky to have mostly non-annoying siblings. Uh, you ready to get back to your place?"

His mother squeezed his shoulder and kissed his head. "Don't be out too late, and if things start getting out of hand, you call us. If there's even a hint of—"

"Mrs. Cahill," Nico jumped in desperately. "They're just working on a school project, and I'm just along for the pizza."

I gave Nico a half-smile.

He looked at Johnny. "You told her."

"To stave off a panic attack, yes," Johnny said in an apologetic tone.

"I was in a state, besides, you know I hate surprises. What made you think I would like surprise party?"

Nico shifted, glancing nervously at Mrs. Cahill. "I'll explain later."

I arched an eyebrow, then hooked my arm in his and looked at Johnny's mom. "Pardon us, we need to speak privately for a moment. May we use your kitchen?"

She smiled, almost laughing a bit. "Be my guest."

As we were going in, I heard her whisper, "Nice manners on that one, you sure you don't want to date her?"

I shivered a let the door close. "What made you think a surprise party was a good idea?"

Nico swung his backpack around and pulled out a folder. "I found this when I was trying to find the Christmas decorations on Wednesday."

I frowned a bit. "That's one of mom's."

"You can tell by looking at it?"

"It has a turtle sticker on it, mine usually had penguins. What is it?"

He let me take it. "Plans. For your birthdays."

I blinked, then opened it. "Birthday-s? Plural?"

"She outlined what she wanted to do, starting at your thirteenth and on to your twenty-fifth. This year she wanted you to have a party with a bunch of friends from school on the Friday before, then a quiet day on the actual day." Nico shrugged. "I told Travis about it and we thought it couldn't hurt to carry on the way she had planned. I mean, you made me celebrate my birthday and we said we were family. Family celebrates each others' birthdays, right?"

I stared at my mom's handwriting. Her notes beside my previous birthdays that she had planned on this page of paper, regular lined paper, with scribbles of ideas on it. There was a stain on it that most would think came from coffee, but I knew it was from hot chocolate. She had used pencil, and four different colored pens, as if she had had it sitting somewhere within reach if an idea struck her at any time and she had just grabbed whatever was closest to write with. I could see where she had traced over faded pencil with a pen.

"Did she really take you to a cabin for your birthday two years ago?"

I nodded. "We froze. It was fun, but we both promised never to do that again. Not in that rustic of a cabin." I didn't read farther than my seventeenth, handing it back to Nico. "Will the surprises never end? Tomorrow, we are going through all of those boxes, I'm going through all of mom's clothes and junk and we're finding all of the other things that she may have hidden. I'm done with surprises. I don't care if we have to move out all of the furniture."

He smiled a bit. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think? It's a big house."

"There's three of us, plus the cat and dog for whatever use they are in the process."

"Distractions and stress relief?" Nico suggested, edging toward the door as he pushed the folder back into his backpack. "You sure you want me to hold onto this?"

"Yes, I don't want to know what's in there. It's both the past and the future and…I can't handle both at once. It's best if I don't see a thing. She's dead. It's best if we leave it at that." I turned and walked out of the kitchen. "Sorted, we should get going back to the house so I can feign surprise."

Nico nudged me.

Johnny nodded and set one of the twins down. "I'm ready when you are."

We headed toward the door, saying goodbye to his family.

Once we were out the door Nico shook his head. "Your family is crazy."

"You're telling me?" Johnny was grinning. "I live with them. But other than Juni being a brat, it's not too bad. The young ones are turning out pretty good. It keeps things interesting. It's kind of nice, because most of them are so young that they just love you unconditionally. You can be absolutely horrible, and they'll always forgive you. Apparently, that's good because according to mom, teens get worse before they get better. But, now we focus on Cassie's birthday!"

"Hooray," I said sarcastically.

Nico smirked at me. "Your boyfriend is there."

I nodded. "That's good, but still."

Nico blinked a couple times. "Is everything okay?"

"Has to be for now, doesn't it?" I kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine once I get some cake."

The drive was short as we gabbed and I made sure they knew to save me every once in a while.

Then we walked into the house.

I put on a smile as everyone yelled surprise.

Will was the first to give me a hug. "I tried to tell them not to, for the record."

I laughed softly. "Johnny warned me." I kept the smile on my face.

Stacy bounced over. "Cassandra darling! Happy birthday!"

"Stacy, how's your dad?"

She grinned. "Home. It's great." She hugged me quickly. "This is going to be great. You'll love your present."

"You shouldn't have gotten me a gift," I said, shaking my head. "Nobody should have."

Will snorted. "Of course we got you gifts. Some of them aren't exactly traditional gifts, but gifts all the same."

I smiled. "Meaning made in arts and crafts?"

"We know how you like useful gifts," Stacy said with a grin.

I smiled. "Yeah. I don't really do gifts, period."

Connor appeared and hugged me, kissing my cheek. "Hey, Happy Birthday, Cassie."

"Thanks."

Julia and Alice were already running around and causing trouble, but hugged me quickly from either side as they passed.

Tribbiani stopped, out of breath. "Um, when they say they have my wallet?"

"They have your wallet, and you might not want to stop giving chase," I responded easily, pointing after them.

His eyes widened and he ran after them.

I smiled and exchanged amused looks with Connor.

Cecil appeared and tugged a strand of hair. "Happy birthday! See where the girls went?"

"Toward the basement."

He nodded and dashed after as well.

I greeted more friends from camp, and those from school, waving at the girls from Northpoint and grinning when I saw Zeke from Northpoint doing the robot with some of the chess and robotics club members that frequented the friday night group.

Austin and Kayla were by the stereo.

Reyna was talking with Eric beside the stove.

I moved among the group, greeting people and getting wished happy birthday. I didn't really stop to chat too much, feeling like it was my responsibility to make sure everyone was having a good time.

Johnny was the one who made me sit down. "Your boyfriend has passed through twice trying to catch up to you."

I winced. "Wondered why I hadn't seen him."

"You were running around like a chicken with your head chopped off. Just sit. You are the person we're celebrating. Relax and let people find you." Johnny handed me his soda. "I'll get a new one, stay put."

I nodded and opened it, watching everyone as I took a sip.

Malcolm dropped next to me. "It's crazy in here. Hi."

"Hi," I replied, smiling at him.

He kissed my forehead. "Happy birthday. Early, but happy birthday all the same. Really, were you going to tell me about your birthday or was I just going to have to guess eventually and have you correct me?"

I shrugged. "I wasn't exactly planning on celebrating with anything more than a movie marathon." And some world building…

Emily dropped in front of us. "Tell me you aren't opening presents in front of everyone."

"OF course not, that's super tacky and I don't have time for that."

"Just checking, oh, and thank you for knowing so many cute boys! Come on Megs, I see a hottie."

"That's just as derogative as a boy calling one of us a hottie, Em," Meg scolded half-heartedly, looking more terrified of where Emily was dragging her.

Malcolm glanced around. "There are a lot of guys here."

I shrugged. "Most of the football team is here, and the basketball team. Johnny's on both of them and they both go to our friday night alternate party thing so I've gotten to know them. A large majority of the girls at my school are still—"

There was a crash, and everyone stopped talking.

Austin paused the music.

I turned around and looked at the broken window, and the horrified face of Cecil.

He saw me looking and got wide-eyed and kind of sheepish. "Sorry?"

I pointed at him. "You're dead."

Travis went over and checked it out. "How the heck did you break the window? I've got something we can put over it. Carry on!"

Austin hit play again.

I glared at Cecil a moment longer, then shrugged it off and sat back down.

"Figures it was a camper," Malcolm muttered.

Lexi hugged me from behind. "This is so cool! You know so many people!"

"Yeah, I do," I responded.

She moved on, talking with Lacey and Mitchell.

"You were saying something about most of the girls at your school?"

"Oh, yeah, they're still on Brandi's side. Meaning they don't like me. Oh hey, Jenny's here." I waved at her.

She waved back. She looked ecstatic as she talked with Jamie from the Hebe cabin.

Jamie. Huh. Hadn't seen Jamie since the Petunia went missing.

I looked at Malcolm. "Did they find Petunia?"

He shrugged. "From what I understand, yes. I don't know if they found her dead or alive though, because Jamie doesn't talk about it. I guess Ria's still beating herself up over Andy's death."

"I heard about that, but I knew they were still looking for Nia." I shook my head. "Jamie and her were thick as thieves."

"Two birds of a feather?"

"Peas in a pod."

"Donald and Mickey."

"Mickey and Minnie," I corrected.

"Really?" Malcolm looked surprised. "I didn't know they were involved like that."

"They weren't, but there was chemistry. They both liked the other but she was too shy and he was afraid of scaring her off. He had a flower that she gave to him pressed and laminated, carried it in his wallet. I don't know. Don't quote me."

Malcolm chuckled then glanced to the side where kids were dancing. "You want to?"

I hesitated. "Maybe. Think you can keep up?"

"No, and I'll look like a dying duck, but I'll try."

I nodded. "Meet you over there. I have a song request to make." I darted over to Austin, who was now appearing to be bickering with Stacy. "Yo, give me Lovesick, Emily Osment."

He gave me a thumbs up and searched the list.

I walked over to the dance floor as the song playing ended. Then my song came on.

Dancing was something I excelled at. Wasn't particularly useful, but it was something I did love doing.

Malcolm was right. He looked awkward.

"Birthday girl on the dance floor!" Stacy yelled, sliding up next to me.

Apparently that was the signal that everyone should be dancing.

Could be worse.

 **AN: Hey, sorry for the delay. Finals is getting to me. Also, I sang my first solo and...it didn't go so well. So, here's a post that I've been working on for far too long not knowing what else to do with it. I'll try to post again before Christmas, but I don't know if I'll be able to manage it. Wish me luck on my exams! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and all that jazz.**


	17. Portal Jumps

**AN: ...I totally worked on it...totally...I'm totally still writing ahead...**

* * *

I looked around at the mess leftover and shook my head. "Guys…"

"We've got this, you go relax." Travis made a shooing gesture.

I grabbed Batman and pulled him away from some cake someone had left on the floor.

Nico blinked tiredly. "Yeah, we've—" He yawned. "Got this."

I nodded slowly and then made my way out of that room, picked my way around the different messes, and finally upstairs. I paused in the hallway, then went and grabbed my pajamas before going into Mom's room. I changed and was about to climb into the bed when there was a flash of light behind me.

"Sorry to disturb you," Eithne said, standing stiffly in the room. "But the timing is perfect for you to come to Tír na nÓg."

I looked at her and sighed. "Right now?"

She frowned at me, ever so slightly. "Something about you is different."

I pushed up my t-shirt sleeve to show her the tattoo. "It can't be seen by mortals, except those who can see through the mist."

She studied it then nodded sharply. "The timing is more than perfect. Come."

I gestured around me. "It's night, and I was just at a party."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

I sighed. "Fine. Let's go."

She grinned, then muttered something and drew a symbol in the air, opening a portal of golden light. "Take my hand."

I did.

She pulled me through the portal.

I closed my eyes against the bright light, then we stopped. My head swam for a moment, then it seemed to settle without making me nauseous. I had to take this slowly.

I peeked out with one eye, then opened both so I could stare. "Whoa."

Tír na nÓg was the most beautiful, enchanting place I had ever seen or been to. Lights seemed to float in the air. The most magnificent flowers lined the path and looked as though dew was a permanent fixture on their lustrous petals. There seemed to be a perfect ratio of shade to sunlight.

I stood in long, soft grass, noticing that the temperature was absolutely perfect. I didn't need a coat, nor did I need lighter-weight clothing. The gentle breeze that rustled the leaves and made the grass and flowers sway was on the cooler side, but still warm enough that I was comfortable.

Eithne grinned at me. She was even fairer here than back at home. Her clothes were made of a shimmery fabric, her leather armour had changed to an odd, polished metal. Her hair was braided away from her face and her eyes were such an intense blue that my own hurt just looking at them and trying to process all of the color, light, and beauty around me.

"Come on. I'm not supposed to be here, which means you're definitely not supposed to be here."

"Comforting," I commented dryly.

"Isn't it? Come on. It's over here."

"What is?"

"I'll explain in a minute," She said, glancing at me over her shoulder. When did she get taller than me?

"Before or after we get in trouble?"

"Before," She said confidently.

We crested a hill and were overlooking a charming, lightly wooded creek. Alongside it was a cairn with various runes engraved in it.

"This is the sacred site where Ogma and Badb were joined as one for a brief moment, a place of enlightenment and learning. You will learn as you meditate here. I will stand guard."

"Wait, what?" Another person telling me what to do was the last thing I needed. Wasn't it bad enough that I was now a Meddler without having agreed to be one?

"Sit, meditate, learn. I will stand guard while you do." Eithne sounded serious, but was she?

"I've never…"

"Just try," Eithne ordered. "Children of Ogma have always found answers while here. Perhaps you will as well."

"And what am I asking?"

She hesitated. "He will know."

I hesitated, then entered the circle around the cairn and sat down. I closed my eyes, knowing I should try to calm my thoughts.

I heard her move away.

I controlled my breathing, trying not to think about things like how I should be focusing or maybe I was supposed to picture one thing. Was I supposed to think of a question? But what if this was all a trap and Eithne was waiting to catch me unaware?

My mind flashed to the party, everything I remembered before passing out.

I shook my head. No. It couldn't be a trap.

I should be taking time for myself, but I also wanted to work on these projects. Was I stretching myself to thin?

"Well, it's a matter of opinion, now isn't it?"

My eyes flew open and I stared up at him. "Father?"

He smiled gently. "Hello, Cassandra. I don't think we've spoken since I dropped off that gift for you. At Northpoint."

I shook my head. "I'm not much of one for praying."

"Not to me, perhaps." He sat down in front of me, where the cairn used to be. "You must be truly troubled. I can't make out a single question that rises above the rest."

I blinked and looked at the ground between us. I didn't know if I was allowed to speak of meddler affairs to him. "A war is coming."

"You've known this for a while."

I closed my eyes. "I wanted to believe that we had put it off."

"If there is anything to learn from the stories around you it's that the inevitable will happen and all you can do is try to delay it. But you know that as well."

"The gauntlets you gave me were a warning for Eithne."

He tilted his head. He looked different than when he had delivered the package at Northpoint. More graceful and less impish. Broader in shoulder. Younger, and yet still as old. "And a gift for you."

"Why me?"

He looked to the sky. "Flowers bloom, and hammers strike; we cherish youth, and life alike; we fight and live, our words so strong; but grow so silent, when we hear a song; We find meaning, in life so small; and answer swiftly, to nature's call; the veil tears away, will worlds unite? Will we preserve, what's wrong and right? Will we continue, will life go on? Once the words are all but gone?"

I felt my heart racing. "How do you know that poem?"

"You wrote it."

I shook my head. "I was trying something for a story."

He met my gaze. "There is a reason you're here. There is always a reason for every life, even if it is microscopic, but especially if it's a large reason. You, my daughter, are a child of the veil. I know you will make me proud."

I felt my eyes widen as I realized he was fading. "No, wait, I don't understand!"

"You will."

I jerked forward, opening my eyes.

Eithne had a hand on my shoulder. "We have to go."

I blinked a couple times, staring at the cairn, then taking the ring that sat in front of it. It was mom's ring.

"Cassie! We have to go! Tá contúirt ann!" There's danger coming.

I shook my head and hurried up and let her pull me along by my wrist.

"What did you find out?" She asked.

"The war is coming. Then he recited a poem I wrote earlier this summer."

"And?"

"He was heavily implying that it was more than just a poem."

She cursed in Irish, then in a language that I didn't recognize. The portal was directly ahead. "Must go faster." She dropped back about two steps, put her arm along my head and neck, then pulled me, going so fast that I thought my skin would rip off. Then I was stumbling into my mom's bed and she was closing the portal.

I clenched the comforter and tried my best to keep the birthday cake and ice cream down.

"Are you alright? Last person I did that with threw up."

I gave her a thumbs up.

Nico came running in. "Cassie! Where have you been?! Travis and I checked all aroudn town and the neighborhood—" He broke off when he saw Eithne.

I glanced at the clock. It was noon. I stared at the clock, then slowly shifted my gaze to Eithne. "We were gone for over twelve hours?!"

She looked apologetic. "Time runs differently there. It only felt like a few minutes. I forgot that the watch stops working there."

I looked back at Nico. He had some cuts and scrapes that he hadn't had last night. "Monsters?"

He nodded. "You better call Travis."

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and sent a text instead. Just in case he was fighting a monster or something.

He called.

"Hey, I'm fine. Eithne just took me—"

He groaned. "Tell her I'll beat her later. I'm on my way back. Sam Winchester called. I'll fill you in when I get back."

"Okay," I replied, that worried feeling gnawing even more vigorously at my stomach. I dropped my phone onto the bed and stood there for a moment, feeling panic rising, then I darted for my own bedroom to find that notebook and that poem.

"Cass? You okay?"

"No," I responded without thinking. "No, I'm not okay. I'm far from okay. How am I supposed to help people when a war hits?"

"A war?" Nico's voice was filled with dread, but also confusion.

"You know what happens when water freezes in cement?"

"Um…"

"It cracks. Now, here in Michigan they have a stupid ritual of 'sealing' these cracks to try and prevent them from getting bigger. That's what all the black lines in the roads and highways are. You following me?"

"Uh, sure. Cracks from ice, seal put over the cracks."

"Right, like a bandaid. Most of the time, this is just a temporary fix because the cracks still manage to spread. And then potholes occur." This analogy wasn't working.

"Oh…kay…"

I groaned. "It's…" I slammed my desk drawer shut and started looking through the bookshelf again. "What we did earlier this summer was a temporary fix, delaying the inevitable war between the greeks and romans against the Celts. But it's not going to end there. When you throw a stone into still water, the ripples spread out. It will hit the Norse, the Egyptian…every other belief system out there will be sent reeling from the rending of the veil. They'll have to choose sides. We'll all have to choose sides."

It was really quiet behind me.

I finally found the notebook hiding under my bed and flipped through until I reached the poem. "A Troubled Time: Flowers bloom, and hammers strike; we cherish youth, and life alike; we fight and live, our words so strong; but grow so silent, when we hear a song; We find meaning, in life so small; and answer swiftly, to nature's call; the veil tears away, will worlds unite? Will we preserve, what's wrong and right? Will we continue, will life go on? Once the words are all but gone?"

"We have to warn the camps." Nico was quiet.

I turned and looked at him.

He had that haunted look he sometimes had when we were both awake from nightmares in the middle of the night. That look he got when he opened up about his sister, Bianca, or about his time alone. Especially when he talked about Tartarus. "You should show that to Rachel. See what she makes of it."

"She's in Connecticut." I shook my head. "At an all-girls private school."

"It's the weekend and you're a girl."

"I can get you there," Eithne said softly. "But I'll need your help."

"With what?" Nico asked sharply, cutting me off. "Your people are the ones who will be attacking."

She looked devastated. "I know. But I need to make sure Aaron stays safe. I need to know he's okay before I go to my parents' side and when the time comes…convince them that fighting is not the answer. I have to see where my peoples' loyalty will lie if they learn that I defied my parents for their sake. I can't do that if I'm worried about Aaron. Northpoint isn't safe enough for him. He's seen too much to be safe there."

I nodded. "He can stay here."

Nico gave me that 'are you out of your gourd?' look. "Here?"

"Where else can we ensure his safety? He can't go to camp, it's too dangerous. And he needs people, doesn't he, Eithne?"

She nodded. "Yes. People, friends…hope. He'll fight me on it, but not for too long. I'll leave him with extra protection and a weapon. I'll tell Allison to enhance her barriers so that my kind can't enter them. And to get out of Northpoint."

"You sound worried about that."

She shrugged. "If she has to step completely into the Greek world, she will inevitably have to go before the gods. It's never a pretty sight."

Nico looked tense. "Here's hoping the veil lasts at least until Christmas break."

I stared at the poem.

Travis slid past Eithne and into the room. "You okay?"

I nodded. "As okay as I can be."

"Sam said that the curse could be transfered to another. Said he would email you the spell for it. He also said that the spirit seems to do it to seemingly random people, always in Michigan. You're the second student to have it, but others were adults or children with seemingly no connection. He's hacking into their health histories to try and find something connecting them. Also, he still hasn't identified the last mark from either of our tattoos. He said the language might be too ancient."

I frowned a bit. "The matriarch told me a little about it, but mostly just said it's a form of identification."

"Allison showed me hers when she was here yesterday, instead of sigma, she had Epsilon. And you know how they're connected?" He traced the connection between the completely foreign symbols. "I think the top part is the first letter of our name. Both you and Connor have one that looks like a C, and then the smaller symbol connected…for some reason that I can't explain, but I have it in my head that that smaller symbol is the first letter of our godly parent's name. We three have something that looks a little like a lowercase H. She has one that looks somewhat similar to the extremely ancient roman A."

"For Apollo," I filled in the blank. "Then Epsilon is probably for Eastburn and sigma for Stoll. But then, that wouldn't explain why I had sigma."

"Because you're more than just our half-sister. You're practically a full sister, and you are legally in my care. That must make you a Stoll in the sight of the meddlers." He put a protective arm around me. "I don't know. Maybe it stands for something else."

Eithne cleared her throat. "As riveting as your conversation is, you need to talk to this Rachel and I must fetch Aaron to safety. We all have a battle to prepare for. Let us hope it is not a bloody one."

Nico looked grim. "Call it what it will be. A war. Another damn war."

Eithne dipped her head in concession and looked at me. "You might want to dress."

I glanced down at my pajamas and nodded.

Travis was silent, pale, with a glitter of either sadness or fear in his eyes. "War?"

Eithne made a gesture that looked like a warding off sign. "Our work to repair the veil did not work."

Travis nodded grimly. "I need to talk to Chiron. Then I'll call Reyna."

"I'll call Meg and get Allison on the phone, give her warning," Nico told him.

I gestured toward the door. "I'll get dressed if you all would kindly leave."

They quickly left, closing the door behind them.

There was another stop I wanted to make after talking to Rachel, so I made sure to dress in a way that would fit both locations, then hurried downstairs to put on my coat and boots. "Eithne! I'm ready!"

She appeared beside me, kneeling and drawing a symbol of some sort on the ground, then a portal opened. "This will take us as close to this Rachel as possible."

I nodded and let her lead me through. The whooshing, stomach sloshing, head-spinning rush happened once more, then I opened my eyes and looked up at Clarion Ladies Academy. "Whoa."

"Need me to help get you through?"

"Possibly. Also, after we see Rachel, I might need to make a stop in Boston."

"That's fine." She started walking purposefully toward the doors. Her quick smile and cheerful demeanor had fallen away, her thoughts likely lingering over the coming war and how she might try to stop it.

We entered the building and I went right up to a lady at a desk.

"Hello, we're here to visit one of the students."

"Name?"

"Mine or hers?"

"Yours," She said patiently.

"Cassandra Dellaro."

"And the student you wish to visit?"

"Rachel Dare."

The woman's eyebrow quirked up for a brief moment. "Wait here." She went through a door and left us alone in the room.

A couple minutes later, she reappeared with Rachel. "Don't forget to sign out, Ms. Dare."

Rachel nodded and signed a book, then gave us a look saying we should talk outside.

Once we were back outside, she walked a few steps ahead and spun to face me. "Is this about the nightmares?"

"Nightmares?"

"I keep having nightmares, about strange people readying themselves for battle."

I could feel Eithne stiffen. "Strange people?"

"I can't explain it, I just know while I'm dreaming that I they're…different. Like you're different, except they're…warriors." Rachel said it like she wasn't even sure that was the right word.

Eithne sat down.

I realized she wasn't going to respond and pulled my notebook from my bag. "My father talked to me, he indicated that a poem I wrote was…a little more than that. Nico thought you should read it."

She took it and starting skimming through, her green eyes getting a strange light to them as the color drained from her skin. "Is this the only part of this?"

I hesitated. Her question jogged a memory, a time when I just made a quick note for ideas for a continuation by recording my voice.

Her eyes widened slightly, looking scared.

I slowly nodded. "Maybe. I might have continued with some ideas, but they're on my ipod at home."

"Looks like I better sign out for the weekend. Do we know what this is warning us about?" She ran a hand through her curly hair and then folded her arms against the cold.

Eithne stood back up, slowly. "My people. My parents would wage war. We haven't much time. You said you must go to Boston?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Then we should go."

Rachel looked confused. "Do you need to go to the safehouse?"

"No," I chewed my lip. "Somewhere a little more…veilish. We might have to come back and pick you up."

"Where exactly are you going?"

"I'm going to visit Magnus Chase and hope the Norse aren't taking sides."

"Norse?"

"Long story, ask Annabeth."

Eithne looked slightly amused. "Oh, right, forgot about them. They're strange folk. Odin is downright annoying, but it's better than dealing with Thor. But why are we going to see them? It's highly unlikely that my people will seek their aid, wouldn't they be better as a neutral party?"

"You know that Annabeth will ask for their aid if the Greeks get involved." And if she didn't at first, Malcolm's assessment of the Dans would lead her to. At the very least, halfbloods might be sent to them for safety. For healing. "How strong is the Irish influence in Boston?"

Her gaze became somewhat gentle. "Second highest percentage city for Irish ancestry, right after Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, and before Louisville, Kentucky and Buffalo, New York. And Massachusetts in general has the highest population of Irish folk in general. Then New Hampshire."

Rachel looked slightly confused, but mostly agitated. "I should have seen something coming months ago. There should have been a quest."

I looked at her, then felt my heart sink. "There was a quest."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Jamie, Petunia, Ria, and Andy. They went on a quest, to defeat a monster. They still haven't figured out what it was. Chiron thought it might just be so ancient that memories of it were somewhat lost, or that exagerration and shock had led them to misremember or describe it. But what if it was an celtic monster."

"What did they fight?" Eithne looked alarmed.

I did my best to repeat their descriptions.

She looked angry and worried. "A diabhal, a demon or devil of Caoránach. Did any of them die?"

"Andy did."

Her hands clenched into fists. "Andy was Greek?"

"Roman, a son of Ceres."

Her shoulders slumped. "That is how my parents found out. Caoránach would love for a war to happen. More meat for her minions. And she has smelled the blood of the Romans. She has likely found a way to inform my father without ever letting slip that she was the informant. Or that they faced one of her demons."

"Worse," Rachel said, finally looking like she had caught up. "They might have a Greek demigod."

Eithne's alarm seemed to flare from large to devastating wildfire.

I blinked and then gripped Rachel's arm to balance myself while she gripped me for balance as well. We were in Boston.

"I'll find you after I get Aaron to safety." Eithne said, then was gone.

Rachel moaned softly. "Oh, I might actually get sick. I survived a crashing airplane and becoming an oracle and whatever the heck that was finally makes me sick."

I shook my head slightly, and that seemed to help. "Let me know when you're good to move. Opening your eyes will help."

She peeked out, then gripped me harder. "Nope. Nope. Worse. Much much worse."

That was slightly concerning. Then again, she was mortal. But again, she was also the Oracle.

Maybe it was my Irish lineage that helped me.

It took a few minutes, but she finally opened her eyes and straightened up and stopped gripping my arms so much. She looked at me, then frowned a bit. "I'm surprised that you haven't had a panic attack today."

I shifted. "Might be because of my trip last night." I looked around and got my bearings. "It's this way."

She followed, still looking a little queasy.

We got to the halfway house and I led the way in.

No one really paid us any attention as we walked through. Maybe a few resentful looks thrown at Rachel because of her uniform, but nothing major.

Magnus was talking over a book with Alex, with an unfamiliar girl sitting across from them looking amused.

Hearth noticed me first though and waved a little, then got a strange look on his face, his gaze going to my left arm like he could see the tattoo through my coat sleeve and my shirt sleeve.

And it was definitely feeling itchy.

I signed "Hello" then waited for a moment with a glance at Magnus and the others.

The unfamiliar girl looked up and saw us. "Hello."

Magnus and Alex looked over, then Magnus got up. "Cassie!"

I gave a hesitant smile. "Sorry to interrupt. This area private enough to speak in?"

Alex nodded to the door. "It is if we close the door."

Blitzen was coming in with a motley group of teenagers, but he made sure to close the door when he heard Alex say it.

Magnus looked worried. "Is everything okay?"

I shrugged slightly. "Sort of, kind of, not for long? This is Rachel Dare. She's the Oracle."

The bigger guy that had come in snorted. "Oracle?"

Rachel fixed him in her scariest look. "The Oracle of Delphi, yes. The Spirit of Delphi speaks through me."

I shifted nervously, then looked around. "I'm mostly here to warn you. We just found out this morning that a war is coming, between the Romans and the Celts. The Greeks are likely to get caught up in it all, as allies to the Romans."

"What does that have to do with us?" Blitzen asked.

I didn't know how to reply. I knew why it mattered, but I didn't know how to say it. I rubbed my arm out of habit, trying to think. Then it came to me. "All worlds are connected, the Greek, the Roman, the Norse, the Celtic, and so many others. They coexist and make the world go round. But when the veil between two worlds is torn, the ripple effects reach the others and weakens the veils. If the veils dissolve completely…then all will be existing at once, fighting for dominance. Tearing the world apart." I looked around at them, assuming that these were the friends Magnus had told me about that helped stave off Ragnorak. "Like if Ragnorak had occurred, it would be the end of not only your world, but the entire world as we know it. Or if Kronos had won, or the Giants. When one world ends, all of them do. It isn't the same as if they fade out of existence, as many have. Ragnorak would happen, the Great Tribulation, and the true end of the Mayan calendar—all of it would happen and we would be unable to stop it between the raging war between all of the different beliefs."

"What if the tear was…peaceful?" Rachel asked.

"That would be different. It would be more of a lifting of the curtain, not someone burning it away or ripping through it," I explained. "That's what Allison and Eithne were trying to do. Teach some people about the different worlds and how they exist. If it had been lifted instead of torn, then we would have been able to coexist peaceably, but we're not talking about friendly. We're talking about tearing. It's been looming all summer, we just didn't see it because the person who would have warned us was banished. She has to sneak in. It's going to be complicated as it is. But like I said, I'm just here to warn you that there is a war coming to my world and you should make yourselves ready for the ripple." I blinked a couple times, then shook my head. I glanced at Hearth.

He was looking at me with curiosity, then he signed something.

Blitzen had to see it again before translating, "Did you just use rune magic?"

I shrugged. "I don't even know anymore. I did have one tattoed against my will, on my…" That made sense. "Left arm. Ansuz."

Hearth looked fascinated.

The others looked solemn, processing what was said.

Alex made a face. "Well that ruined dinner."


	18. It Piles Up

**AN: Fourteen days...yikes...and the only reason I actually got it done today is because I forgot that school never starts on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Here's the next part, irene-I know something feels rushed, probably the whole war thing coming up, but it's just the initial panic of it coming I think. This part should help it feel better...sort of...**

* * *

I pulled the comforter up, then put the photo up onto the wall. It was bright and colorful, which was what Eithne said was best for Aaron. Making sure things were colorful and bright. It helped that we were also decorating for Christmas, which would make it generally colorful and happy.

Nico stepped in. "Travis is still on the phone with Chiron. He thinks you should talk to Reyna. Allison said she'd be here tonight. She sounded…"

"Ridiculously calm?"

"Scared," Nico finished. "Very scared."

I didn't like the sound of that.

"When is Aaron getting here?"

"An hour or so. Eithne had to help him pack, just in case he had to stay here for a while. She's worried about him. She's just helped him into a good place, moving him away from it…"

"Could completely upset him again, put them back at square one." Nico sat in the chair by the window. "You sure about him having this room? About moving into your mom's room?"

I nodded. "It's time. I want to be able to use the space in this house to help my friends. Especially if there is a war coming." I handed him the last stack of books. "That should finish it all. This place look neutral enough while also being cheerful?"

Nico smiled. "Yeah, it's great. And it has a great view. Relax, you make everyone who stays with you feel welcome and comfortable."

"Whatever you say. I should call Reyna."

"And what are we doing with Rachel?"

"She said she'd be fine staying in the other bedroom in the basement. Warned me that she might end up painting one of the walls. I figure it's just paint and if I hate it I can paint over it if I hate it." I fiddled with the curtains, making sure they were laying straight. A stupid thing to fuss over given the impending war, but a welcome distraction. "It's only for the weekend."

"She thinks it really was a prophecy of sorts?"

I hadn't filled them in on all of the details of what happened on our trip and wasn't sure I could handle recounting it. "Possibly. It definitely struck her as important. That's why she's here." I grabbed the stray pen off of the floor. "I'll call Reyna. Can you just set those on the table by the window? I'll put them away after I finish my call."

He nodded and left with the stack of books.

I took a deep breath and then grabbed the prism off my keychain and made sure the light made a rainbow. "Oh goddess, accept my offering, Preator Reyna, New Rome, California."

The rainbow shifted and then Reyna came into view…well, I could see her, but her back was to me.

Ria was there, looking somewhat defiant, but she noticed me and her demeanor changed to surprise.

We had a bit of a history. On her first day in camp, she had been disappointed to be placed in the Hermes cabin until she was claimed, and looked down on me as someone who was weaker because of my arm. After that it was a matter of keeping ahead of her strategic mind and warring countenance. Honestly, it was sort of a relief when she was claimed by Mars, because at least it explained why she was the way she was. Don't get me wrong, she's brilliant, but her need to prove herself in battle and ruthless moves when in battle made a dangerous combination without stronger discipline which would be readily supplied at Camp Jupiter. We'd traveled together after the initial group from Camp Half-blood had left since I had to finish judging the competitions and because she had been in the infirmary with a fractured leg. We'd met with a fight at the airport and had to rescue our Roman escorts, take our enemy hostage, hot-wire a van, and somehow make it to New Rome with only two more skirmishes. After that, it had been a matter of mutual respect between us.

Reyna turned around, looking a little surprised to see me.

I blinked then flinched. "Hi, sorry, um, should I call back later?"

Reyna glanced at Ria, then shook her head. "No, we were almost done here anyway. You look worried."

I looked at Ria, who was examining me from over Reyna's shoulder, then back to Reyna. "Our efforts were not sufficient."

She looked slightly puzzled, then her eyes widened. "With…Eithne's people?"

I nodded. Then looked at the ground. "The quest earlier this summer, your quest Ria, you fought a diobhal. A Celtic demon or devil. Eithne thinks that it's mistress made sure that the Celts became aware of our continued existence." I was afraid to look back up. I didn't want to see the anger, shock, sadness, or any of the other emotions that might greet me.

It was quiet for a few moments.

"And we're certain that it's war that will come?" Reyna's voice was calm, calculating.

I nodded, finally looked up.

Ria's face was red and she was staring at the ground.

Reyna looked cool and collected, regal. "How much time do I have to prepare?"

"I don't know. Not yet. Rachel is here to consult with Allison and Eithne when they arrive. Eithne's going to try and delay, try to prevent it…but I know that it cannot be prevented. Only delayed. We've just been buying time. Travis is talking to Chiron right now," I finished quietly. I felt even worse telling them.

Reyna nodded sharply, a determined look on her face. "Update me when you know more. I'll coordinate with Chiron after we have an idea of when we might expect the first attack. I know we were hoping to prevent war, but if one is coming we'll just have to be prepared. It'll be alright, Cassie. I know you were hoping we could prevent this war."

The image of Percy and Annabeth finding out another war was coming flashed through my mind, the looks on their faces similar to the ones Travis and Nico had when they found out.

I thought I might be sick. "Alright, I'll talk to you later."

She nodded and terminated our conversation.

I stood there for a few minutes, just feeling sick to my stomach with dread. I just wanted to hide in the closet and write and pretend that none of this was real.

So, of course, my cell phone rang.

I sat down in the chair and stared at Malcolm's name and picture, then finally answered with a soft, "Hello?"

"Hey, you okay?"

"Tired, I didn't get any sleep last night and it's been a busy day." Oh gods, would I have to tell him about the war?

"Yikes," He responded, then he hesitated.

I waited a moment, then cleared my throat. "Yeah. What's up? I wasn't expecting a call."

"Yeah, I know. Um, but I needed to talk to you about…well…something that might affect us."

I cringed. "Oh gods, hang on. I need to lay down for this conversation."

"Okay."

I let the phone drop from my ear and went across to the master bedroom and climbed onto the bed curling up among the pillows and grabbing the stuffed animal that I was too distressed to care about being too old for right now. "Okay. I'm good."

"I got accepted to Oxford."

"Oxford? England Oxford?"

"That would be the one, yes. Chiron thinks it might be safe enough. Not quite the old world, but still some Greek and Roman influence as we both know. The offer is…really good. But…it would make our long-distance relationship just that much more difficult."

Nico strode in. "Hey Cassie—"

"Not now, Nico," I said shortly, trying to stay calm.

He looked at me with some concern, but vacated after I didn't say anything else. He said something once he was back out there, but I couldn't make it out.

"Cass?" Malcolm prompted gently.

"So you want to go to Oxford, it's no big deal. I told you, you should take the opportunities that come to you."

"Cass, they want me to start in the next semester. I have to answer them tomorrow and be out there by January second."

My heart dropped. "Oh."

"Look, I like you. I really do. You are so special to me. But it wouldn't be fair for you to still be stuck to me."

"I wouldn't be stuck to you," I murmured.

"I know." He was equally quiet. "But you should have a date to your prom. You should experience actually having a boyfriend around. If we decide later that we want to be together, then we will. But for now…"

"You should go," I said, choking up. "Oxford is an amazing university and you'll get to go someplace new and exciting."

He was really quiet. "Yeah, it is. I still want to spend Christmas with you."

I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me. "Yeah," My voice broke. "Of course."

"I'll talk to you later, Cass."

"Yeah, bye." I waited until he said bye and hung up before taking in a shaky breath and trying to calm myself.

We both knew this would probably happen. We'd both agreed that we wouldn't be dating during the school year in the first place. We both had known that having a long-distance relationship was difficult and that we would probably stop dating when we both came to the agreement that it might be best for us to not be dating.

I just hadn't been expecting it so soon.

Someone hesitantly knocked on the door.

I took a couple deep breaths, then managed to set aside my poor stuffed dog and drag my feet over to the door and open it.

Nico looked at me blankly. "Everything okay?"

I shook my head. "No. What's up?" I gently pushed past him and headed downstairs.

"Rachel wants to know if you found that extra bit of your writing, Travis needs to talk to you about Camp, I wanted to know if you would rather have chinese food or pizza since none of us want to make food."

"Chinese, definitely. Who's going to get it?"

"Rachel, but I was fighting to not have pizza again." He caught up to me and stopped me. "Were you talking to Reyna?"

I shook my head. "Malcolm."

He took my hand. "So, I take it Will's ship sank?"

I cracked a pained smile. "We're taking on water. We'll sink after Christmas."

He just waited while I regained control.

"He got accepted to the University of Oxford."

He looked at me blankly.

"In England."

His eyes widened ever so slightly and he looked a little shocked. "Do you want to go back to bed?"

"Yes, but I won't be able to."

He looked awkward for a moment, then he hesitantly hugged me.

I leaned into him a little, hugging back.

He finally pulled away after a few moments. "I hope that helped."

I nodded and sighed a bit. It had helped me relax a bit. I was still upset, but I was a little more relaxed.

Travis looked like he had a headache.

Rachel already had new paint splotches on her face, and she looked troubled. "Did you find it?"

I held up my iPod. "I want to listen with you, I just need to talk to Travis really quickly."

She nodded. "Are we doing Pizza or Chinese?"

"Chinese." Nico answered.

Travis hadn't even moved.

I hooked my arm around his and leaned against him. "What's up?"

"Chiron wants me there to help with war preparations. If I'm going to be one of the heads of camp, I need to know what it entails." He was speaking softly, eyes still closed.

"Okay."

"No, it's not. I'm supposed to be here with you and Nico," Travis growled, starting to rub his forehead.

I looked at him hard, trying to see through him. I knew he had been stretching himself thin just staying with us and doing his schoolwork, he had to commute four out of five days of the week and he was still arranging my affairs. With the war coming now…unless we knew that the first of the battles wouldn't hit until after finals he would be so stressed.

I hugged him, ducking under his arm so I could reach his waist. "When are finals?"

"The week after this coming week."

I didn't respond. I knew he didn't need words. He just needed to know that someone was there and understood his stress and frustration.

He sighed after a little while and straightened up so he could actually hug me back. "You talked to Reyna?"

"They're starting preparations."

"And Malcolm?"

I glanced up at him.

He nodded behind me. "Rachel said you were talking to Malcolm. Had the freaky, Oracle of Delphi glow in her eyes. Figured she was probably right."

I buried my face in his shoulder. "He was just telling me that he got accepted at Oxford. I couldn't bring myself to tell him about the war. He'll find out soon enough. Better to address it when we actually have details about what's coming and when it will be coming."

He kissed my forehead, lingering there for a moment in a very protective gesture. "You're getting better at lying. What did you leave out?"

"We agreed to break up after Christmas."

He held me tighter. "Have you managed to even get a nap yet?"

I shook my head, fighting something that was either a sob or a yawn. I couldn't even tell at this point.

He kissed the top of my head. "Cass, you know you're more prone to anxiety attacks when you're tired."

"I do know, but…I'm afraid that this will be one of the times when I have a half-blood dream instead of a meddler dream."

He murmured something I didn't understand, then said, "As soon as we're done listening to the recording, and discussing it, then you're taking a nap."

"Food too. I'm starving. And Aaron will be here with Eithne soon."

He grunted, but didn't fight me. Maybe he realized it was futile.

We walked over to Rachel, an arm still wrapped around the other.

She nodded and pressed play.

Listening to a private note I recorded with a bunch of people. That wasn't at all embarrassing.

"Alright, it's about one in the morning and I'm in New Rome. Yay. Anyway, I couldn't get some new lines for that poemish-prose thing I wrote for the Breach story." A pause. "Foresight and friendship, bound in chains; the ancient cities, wracking their brains; the wilderness calls, and troublemakers fight; worlds collide, and meet death's bite; the shining sun, and the full moon; must be in sight, and it will be soon; a choice once made, cannot be changed; and will decide how the worlds will be arranged."

Some noise on the recording.

"So, yeah. I'll edit later. I mean, I'm pretty sure that it won't work for my story, but I couldn't get those lines out of my head, so there they are. Maybe I can forget them now." The recording ended.

Rachel had written it down as I last-summer me had recited or read it aloud. I couldn't even remember which it was. " _A Troubled Time: Flowers bloom, and hammers strike; we cherish youth, and life alike; we fight and live, our words so strong; but grow so silent, when we hear a song; We find meaning, in life so small; and answer swiftly, to nature's call; the veil tears away, will worlds unite? Will we preserve, what's wrong and right? Will we continue, will life go on? Once the words are all but gone? Foresight and friendship, bound in chains; the ancient cities, wracking their brains; the wilderness calls, and troublemakers fight; worlds collide, and meet death's bite; the shining sun, and the full moon; must be in sight, and it will be soon; a choice once made, cannot be changed; and will decide how the worlds will be arranged_. Cryptic and gloomy, definitely a prophecy."

I grabbed my iPod and shoved it in my pocket.

"Anything that's been bugging you that you want to add to this?" Rachel's eyes seemed to cut through me like butter.

"Um…no. I really didn't want to…wait…the next full moon…is tomorrow…but…" My blood ran cold. "New Years Eve…it's going to be a Super moon and a Wolf moon."

Nico gave me a lost look.

"A super moon is when the moon is full and closest to the earth making it look a whole lot brighter and larger than regular full moons. A wolf moon is technically just the first full moon of the year. But what are the odds? Plus, the full moon after that is supposed to be a blue moon…and an eclipse…so it's going to be a red blue moon…and almost a super moon." I felt a little dizzy and short of breath. "January will also have a micro new moon."

"How do you know this?"

"I'm a dork who researches stuff when I'm bored! I like full moons! And Astronomy! And I was researching it Thursday night."

Rachel was staring at the notebook. "There hasn't been much leading up to today, so I'd say we're safe from it being tomorrow. But you're right, it's too much of a coincidence that all three of those things should be happening in January."

"No such thing as a coincidence. Not in our lives." Travis held me tighter.

I had a weird sense of deja vu and Travis had frozen next to me.

But the next moment Rachel—who hadn't seemed to notice how Travis and I had frozen—let out a frustrated groan. "Everything has been so messed up since the Giants! It's like someone is trying to make sure everything important happens around the same time while there's peace, like they see no alternative, so HERE! Have another problem!" She started pacing slightly.

I waited a moment, then cleared my throat slightly. "Paints are in the box closest to the door in the storage room, consider the room you're staying in your canvas, there might also be an extra sketchbook here somewhere."

The doorbell rang.

"That's probably Eithne and Aaron," I said, ducking out of Travis' arms and heading for the door.

I heard Rachel hurry toward the basement to find the tools of her trade, then reached the door and opened it.

Johnny waved. "Hey, ready to work on our history project?" Then he frowned. "Are you okay? You look pale, and…well…"

I arched an eyebrow as he shied away from finishing his sentence.

"Like…you've been crying."

I saw Eithne and Aaron arriving behind him and gestured for him to come in. "It's been a long forty-two hours."

His eyes widened slightly. "You haven't slept yet?!"

"That's my fault," Eithne piped up as they reached us. "She was helping me investigate and it took longer than we thought."

Johnny's jaw went slightly rigid, and his gaze sharpened, but whatever he had been about to say didn't come out.

My gaze shifted to Aaron who looked a lot different from the last time I had seen him. His dark hair was still long, and hung in his eyes, but he stood up straight and seemed a lot less fidgety and nervous, and a whole lot annoyed—at least toward Eithne. He didn't have a trace of black or gray clothing on, and the clothes he was wearing emphasized the fact that he was actually quite handsome.

The moment he noticed me staring at him he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away with a blush. "Hello again."

"Hi, Aaron. Did you get taller?" He had to have.

Eithne grinned and nodded.

He shook his head. "Not really."

I shrugged, then gestured for all of them to come in.

Johnny was the last and he gave me a meaningful look as he whispered, "I can do our project, but you're sleeping as soon as you're done greeting your guests."

"Yes, mum."

"Cassie, you're fantastic caretaker for everyone but yourself." Johnny gently stopped me so that he could keep talking to me. "What is going on?"

I shook my head, shrugging. "Do you want it alphabetically, or in order of appearance?"

"Let's start with why you were crying?"

I froze and stared silently at the floor. "Malcolm and I are breaking up after Christmas. He's going to be in England next semester."

"Whoa," Johnny let out a sympathetic sound.

"Um, I actually talked to my father and of course it was just sort of the vague conversation one might have with a freakin deity, I didn't get any sleep, I've been to Connecticut and Boston today, we're now preparing for a war…" I shook my head, unable to continue as I felt panic rising up in me.

He pulled me into a hug. "Whoa, slow down. A war doesn't start in a day. Sometimes it takes years to build up to it, sometimes weeks. But always more than a day. I'm sorry about Malcolm." His voice was gentle, and oddly calming. He gave me another squeeze, then released and stepped back, looking at my face. "I'm guessing you already have everything ready for whatever else needs to happen. Just go sleep. I'm sure Nico and Travis can handle whatever is left."

"If I go now, I'll have nightmares. There are a couple things I have left to do. Then I promise I will sleep." I pushed away the pesky realization that he had just calmed me in less than a minute.

"Fine, but if you spiral that quickly into a panic attack again, I don't care what's left to be done, you're sleeping." He looked toward the kitchen. "Keeping you out all night." He huffed and then shook his head and went in as well.

I waited a moment, feeling like I had just seen something I wasn't supposed to without knowing what it was that I saw that I shouldn't have seen. I shook my head again, confusing myself, and hurried after them. "We're ordering chinese food, just so y'all know. I have a room ready for you, Aaron. Eithne?"

She flashed a quick smile. "We should wait for Allison to get here. Besides, your Rachel friend is nowhere in sight."

"She's painting downstairs," Nico replied, giving Johnny a confused look.

Johnny just held up our history textbook in response and sat at a bar stool.

Travis groaned slightly and cracked his neck. "Okay, Nico, you go get Rachel's order. I'll make the order and pick it up. Cass, what do you want. Allison is about forty minutes out."

"Sounds like enough time for a power nap," Johnny said pointedly.

I rolled my eyes. "Sweet and sour chicken, crab cheese rangoons, and mild mongolian beef."

Travis jotted it down, then waved me off. "Johnny's right. Go take a nap. You look dead on your feet."

So, knowing I would have nightmares, I went to take a nap.


	19. Sorting Through

I woke up from my nightmare with a gasp, and kept gasping and trying to catch my breath for another moment or two before I even realized that Nico was standing rigidly by my bed, looking worried.

"Food's here," He said when he realized I was looking at him.

I nodded and rubbed my face, trying to relax and calm my racing heart.

"Allison is here too, with someone that doesn't look too happy about being here. Some kid named Alabaster. You thought I had a chip on my shoulder?"

I scrunched up my nose. "Aaron?"

"Had a bit of an accident with a wax apple, so he's still sort of freaking out. He couldn't tell it was fake." Nico looked a little amused.

"Eithne?"

"Tormenting Travis, then helping Aaron. Those two are quite the team."

"Her and Travis, or her and Aaron?"

"Her and Aaron. Rachel and Allison were sizing each other up when I left. Bets on who would win?"

"Allison. There's no question. She's mysterious, to be sure, but she's fierce."

"Rachel is protected by Apollo," Nico pointed out.

"True," I responded, shrugging. But Allison was a meddler now. Damn that was a scary thought.

"Why'd you just blush?"

I had caught myself mentally swearing and just shook my head. "Nothing. I just remembered something and…yeah. Let's go eat." I got up stretched, then shook my head again. "My hair a mess?"

He shook his head, but there was still some worry in his eyes. "Cass…did you actually—"

"Come on, before Johnny gets caught in the crossfire." I ignored the question that I predicted was coming out of his mouth and walked out of the room with him a couple feet behind me. I could see that Aaron's small duffel bag was already sitting just inside the room I had prepared for him, my old room. He had about as many belongings as Nico did when he came here.

Nico nudged me. "What?" Then he followed my gaze. "Is that everything he brought? He goes to a private school, but thats…"

I remembered when Aaron was over last time the way he had acted, the things he wouldn't say. "That's all he dared sneak out of his house before he went to stay with Eithne and Faolan."

Nico looked up at me. "What?"

It made sense, the way he looked so different. "I thought so last time, but I'm pretty sure his home life was nothing short of abusive. I bet that's what he snuck out before going to stay with Eithne and Faolan. That's why he looks so much better. Not only is he around them a lot more, and taking brief trips into Tir na Nog, but being away from the people that were abusing him and being around people who understand him…"

Nico looked at the bag again. "Abused…you put all that together from a short night over two months ago and a small duffel bag?"

"No, there was a lot more. I recognize pain in others, I suppose camp sort of trained me to notice it." I grabbed a strand of hair and twisted it around my finger. "I guess I was looking to see if I was the only one in pain, and I wasn't short on sympathizers, not because I was to be pitied, but because they knew what it was like to be in pain. Then…before I knew it they were trusting me with their pain."

Nico was silent.

"Maybe Travis was right. Maybe I am the right choice to help at camp," I whispered. "I mean, from what I understand, the Titan war really came about because of pain. Pain and feelings of neglect. Feeling like the world is against you and nothing will change unless you do something drastic. If I recognize it, maybe I can help before things escalate."

"Cassandra Lynn Dellaro," Nico said in an oddly cold voice. "Don't you dare…don't you dare put that pressure on yourself."

I blinked and looked at him. "What?" That wasn't the sentence I was expecting. Nor was the murderous look on his face the expression I was expecting.

"You heard me." His glare made me feel like if he really wanted to, he could kill someone with a blink. "Just because it's what's expected of you doesn't make it right for you. And until you take better care of yourself, you can't handle taking care of that many other people. I've been too relaxed, letting you take care of me because…it doesn't matter why! Cass, you don't need to hold the weight of the world. It doesn't do any good in the first place. I know you're worried about the War and School, and Travis, and Me, and everybody you care about because that's who you are. You're a caretaker. But you have to start looking at what you want and need, because I need you at your best if there's going to be a war. I will not lose another sister."

I slowly nodded, realizing where he was at. I waited a few moments. "Come on. Our food is getting cold."

He nodded sharply and took my hand as we went downstairs together, his grip tight as if he expected me to disappear at any second. "After you eat you're going back to bed."

"No, there's a conversation that still needs to happen and I need to be there for it."

"Why?"

"Because otherwise sleeping will do me no good, as you already noticed."

"Demigod nightmares, or regular?" His voice softened, if only slightly.

I blinked, trying to remember. It all came back, though and I froze on the stairs. "Demigod. Definitely."

"What happened in it?" Nico's voice lowered slightly with the importance of it.

"I saw a group of people. Two guys, three girls. They were somewhere dark, and wet. Creepy as heck. They were lucky to be alive, but something was coming for them."

Nico nodded slowly as he walked briskly forward. "So what was terrifying about it, aside from the location?"

I glanced at him, glad he wasn't looking at me. "Not sure. Can't quite place it. Might have just been their fear leaking over to me." I knew it wasn't. I knew why I was afraid. I knew I would have to go to that place, and face whatever it was that had kept them trapped there. I had to free them. That was what was so terrifying. I still had time to prepare. They had been talking about it being the twenty-seventh. Maybe it was more than just a demigod dream. Maybe…maybe it was a meddler dream too.

"There you guys are, I was about to send a search party," Travis joked lightly. But seeing the bandages on his arm from his battles with monsters this morning kind of made that joke hurt me on the inside.

"Nah, I just had some trouble waking Cassie up." Nico grabbed a bowl and started filling it with his order.

Travis knew that that was code for nightmares and just nodded once. "It was a long night. I wouldn't have woken you up, but I figured you were probably starving."

I nodded and started filling my own plate. Ha. As if my life's plate wasn't full enough, now I was having stupid demigod dreams about quests.

Allison gave me a strained smile. "You look half-dead."

"Nico? Consensus?"

"No comment," He muttered grumpily, giving me a scolding glare still.

Johnny snorted and kept chowing down.

Rachel had some paint splattered on her now, but she ate quietly as she watched Allison somewhat warily.

Eithne was reading the notebook page that Rachel had copied everything down on. "A full moon…I'm afraid it does make sense. Fortunately, time runs differently there than it does here. Our forces will be ready by nightfall tomorrow—in Tir na Nog."

"You told Allison that a day in Tir na Nog is equivalent to a hundred and twenty days here." I recalled suddenly.

"More or less. That's the average, especially in summer. But days there are shorter in winter as they are also here…" Eithne pursed her lips, looking troubled.

"How much time?" Nico asked sharply.

She looked out the window, pensively. "New years eve, at the earliest…" She trailed off, her eyes widening slightly. "Or the new moon. My father is particular about the phases of the moon, my mother would have chosen either the new moon due to the timing, or new moon for the greatest advantage. Our people see easily in the dark. It would be a slaughter."

"Next new moon is the 18th of December," Johnny offered, reading his phone.

I pushed my plate away.

Nico pushed it back. "Eithne, can they be ready by that time?"

"It is unlikely, they were still gathering everyone when I left." She looked distressed.

"The next is the sixteenth of January," Johnny set his phone aside and kept eating like we weren't discussing a war in front of him.

Rachel sighed. "January it is, then. It feels right anyway. I mean, the coincidences are too high, two full moons, a super moon, a blue moon…it's just too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence."

"The notebook says full moon must be in sight." Travis was picking at his food. "But it also says the shining sun."

Rachel frowned. "So the morning after a full moon, maybe?"

"Or an eclipse," Aaron said quietly, fidgeting in his seat. "Or all of the above. I mean, the thirty-first of January is supposed to be a full moon, and an eclipse, so the sun is shining brightly and making the moon shine brightly as well, but then there's an eclipse. Perhaps the battle will start that night, using the light before the eclipse to arrange troops and the darkness during the eclipse. Or maybe it will start the morning after, but…" He trailed off when he realized everyone was actually listening.

Allison had gone rigid. "But we're talking mortal science…" Her voice was weak, like she wanted to convince herself.

Rachel shifted, her eyes narrowed at her half-empty plate. "Times like this make me wish I could access the oracle."

"You can, someone would just have to ask a question. Nobody ask her a question." Travis' voice sounded firm, but also a touch desperate.

My phone rang, filling the silence that had followed Travis' statement.

I answered. "Hello?"

"Cassie? It's Sam Winchester."

I blinked, hearing something loud in the background. "Hey, Travis said you called this morning. It's just been busy."

"Yeah, about that,"Sam got cut off by a roar of some sort. "We might be making a house call. Gareth just sent us your address."

I froze for a moment, panic rising up even as I calmly answered. "Sure, no problem." No problem? No problem!?

"Cassie, whatever you do, don't—" The line got cut off.

"Hello?" I waited a moment. "Hello?"

Eithne looked slightly alarmed. She probably heard the whole conversation.

"Well that was unfortunate timing," I said in a small voice.

"What's no problem? Who was that?" Travis asked, looking slightly stressed.

"Uh, Sam Winchester. Apparently, they're making a house call." I stared at the chinese food. "I'm gonna put this away."

"You barely ate," Nico objected.

"Not hungry," I muttered, but I sat down when I realized he wasn't going to let me have my way.

Nico pointed at my plate. "Eat."

I slowly put a bite in my mouth and started chewing. It didn't even register with my tastebuds.

Allison cracked her knuckles, looking distracted. "Nothing else to be done but prepare for war. I should get back to my kids."

"Are they somewhere safe now?"

She nodded. "They're at the manor. It's safer there than at Northpoint." She looked sort of upset saying that. I understood her frustration. She had built that camp to be a safe place, different from Camp Halfblood or Camp Jupiter. She had wanted to protect her kids, and the place she had built to do that was now one of the most dangerous places for all of them. "I was thinking some of them might need to go to Camp Halfblood. Help with the war preparations. Only some of them are capable or willing to go, but it might…" She just looked more troubled the more she spoke.

Travis nodded. "Just let me know what you decide. I'll be going back as soon as exams are over. They can ride with me." He shoved a forkful of food into his mouth, but looked about as equally thrilled with it as I was with mine.

Which sucks since I had ordered my favorite things from my favorite chinese restuarant.

I resigned myself to eating the sweet and sour chicken, and leaving the mongolian beef since that would reheat much better. I put my rangoons on Johnny's plate with a small shrug.

He gave me a sympathetic look and then downed one.

Aaron was watching Eithne, unusually still from what I was used to seeing him as.

She finally seemed to notice and gave him a small smile. "You sure you're okay with missing school?"

He shrugged. "I'm only there for extra-curriculars anyway, and I'm top of my class. Mr. Bryant said he'd email me assignments and that I could turn in a couple extra musical compositions to make up for my absence. I still think it's a stupid idea for you to go back alone."

"I won't be alone. Faolan will be with me. I just have to…" She shivered. "I just have to try and convince my parents to listen to me instead of throwing me in my room or worse."

"Or worse?"

She gave a nervous smile. "It wouldn't be the first time I'd run away from my wedding."

"Oh you poor thing," Rachel said, looking like she completely understood.

"Yeah, you'd think he would get tired of me ditching him, or at least wise-up and trap me better," She said with a little amusement.

Aaron looked upset. "I don't like it."

"Don't get jealous of someone I don't care about," she said casually. Too casually.

Hmm, I could taste again.

Aaron just looked more upset. "I'm not jealous, I'm worried."

"About what? Me getting married off?"

"No, about you getting hurt."

"No one's going to hurt me, I'm the next in line for the throne."

"That actually usually makes people a target for getting hurt," Johnny pointed out.

"Who's going to hurt me my parents?" Eithne rolled her eyes.

"Mine did!" Aaron stood up and met her startled gaze. "You think there aren't similarities?"

The rest of us looked at each other awkwardly, recognizing that we all felt like we should be somewhere far away from here.

Eithne seemed frozen, her mouth opening but shutting without saying words. It was as if she was suddenly considering his words and finding merit in them.

It was alarming to say the least.

But finally, she tucked her hair behind her ear and calmly said. "While there are some similarities, there are also differences. My parents would not hurt me, not physically."

"Not physically," Aaron repeated, turning a glare to the floor.

"They think they are doing what's best for our people, it blinds them to what's best for me," She continued, but she sounded unsure.

Nico caught my eye and mouthed, "Should we leave?"

I shook my head slightly. It might make things more awkward.

Allison was taking an intense interest in her glass of water.

Travis was chewing a bite in super slow motion.

Rachel was looking at the notebook page like it was the best book in the world.

Johnny was the only one who acted truly oblivious to what was going on, eating as if we weren't talking about war, death, parental abuse, and the like.

It was silent in the room aside from the sound of silverware against plates.

"Oh, for pete's sake! You're worried about her, fine. But I don't think that's going to change what she's doing. She's escaped before, she can do it again, right?" Johnny asked, getting up. He didn't wait for an answer. "And it's not like she doesn't have that Faolan person to help her as well. We already know that she's just as worried about you since she's having you stay here, out of harm's way, which means it's too dangerous for you to go with her. And so we don't know when the war will actually come, I know you guys got lucky before in having pretty exact dates of when wars would start and end, but you have a general idea already and it's not like you're completely unprepared for war either. You guys spend all of your time sparring and making weapons, and the like. Cassie, eat your damn food. Nico, sit down and sit still. Travis, try to relax. Rachel, you're weird. Allison, you should get back to them, but more so because you're worried than anything else. Eithne, you should get a move on. Aaron, suck it up cupcake. Now would someone make the dog stop staring at me!"

It was probably the lack of sleep and emotional fatigue that made me start laughing, and everything else that just made me continue.

"I think…you just broke Cassie…" Travis said, sounding concerned.

"You know, I'm pretty sure it was probably her damn boyfriend."

Whoa…

I still couldn't stop laughing.

Johnny was standing there like he couldn't believe that it came out of his mouth. "That…that came out of my mouth."

Travis cleared his throat, patting my back in concern as I continued to laugh so hard I was practically hyperventilating. "Well…you're not wrong…"

Nico snorted. "He means the boyfriend part, not the it came out of your mouth part." He eyed me then shook his head. "She needs sleep."

Eithne came closer. "That, I can definitely help with." She touched my forehead.

I was calm instantly, and then my eyes shut.

 **AN: The story should slow down a bit after this, also, I don't know if you guys know about the One-Shots connection, but you might want to check it out. A lot of them are probably going to connect to this in the future. Actually, I'm probably going to rename it because they really aren't one-shots. I'm not sure what they are, but they're not really one-shots. They all connect in some way or other, especially to this story. I've been trying to post this part for four days now.**


	20. Dream-walking

**AN: This adds virtually nothing to the story line, but I wrote it and so here it is. We'll get a glimpse at one of the world's she was too embarrassed about later. You'll understand after reading. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

I sat up in my dream castle, and looked around.

Nico was sitting on a chair. "Been a while since I did this. Wasn't what I was expecting."

I stared at him, then rubbed my eyes. "Crap. You're actually in my dream."

"Yeah. It was kind of weird that you were sleeping in your dream, though. Only ever seen Morpheus kids do that." He got up, as if nervous he would disturb something. "This dream is really solid."

I got up, not sure how to respond, but I glanced to make sure the entrance to the room of doors was closed. Thank goodness it was. "Why…"

He shrugged. "We were worried about you. I wanted to make sure you weren't having nightmares again."

I nodded then glanced around. "So, yeah. This is where my dreams start out when I don't have demigod-type dreams or nightmares. At least, recently."

"Because of what happened in New York?" Nico asked, his voice a little tight.

I looked at him in surprise. "Why…"

"Give me some credit," Nico said with a wry smirk. "You've been a little different ever since you were kidnapped by whatever the heck that was. Then there was that talk of meddlers. And you're calmer in the mornings. Less nightmares. More driven and worried, though. Secretive. You've always been secretive, but you seemed like you had something you were afraid to tell me."

"I wasn't sure I'd be able to tell you, or even explain it." I grab one of the blankets on the dream bed and wrapped it tightly around me. "Cold in here."

Nico glanced at me as he nodded. "It is a little. Which is funny, because until you woke up it was actually kind of toasty."

I shrugged. "Must be cold in real life."

Nico chuckled, then flinched as he looked in a mirror. "Whoa…"

"What?"

"Those are some big boots…"

"Shoot, Nico, stop looking." I forgot about that dang mirror and it's tendancy to play out memories.

He glanced back at me with a grin. "It's kind of weird how it shows it in third person."

"Fishing for answers here doesn't really work," I responded, silently willing the mirror to move upstairs while he was facing me.

He looked back, then froze. "Whoa…okay, that's cool! Where is it now?"

"Upstairs, and you don't have a security pass." I smirked and folded my arms.

"No fun," He laughed. "Seriously though, the detail in this place is crazy. What's it modeled after?"

"Would you accept that it's based on a conglomaration of three dozen photos on pinterest, a story, and a very active imagination?"

He nodded.

I spread my hands in a 'there you have it' gesture.

Nico nodded appreciatively. "So, what do you do here?"

"Oh, this and that, that and this. Sometimes I just sift through memories, other times I go over plans and such." Other times I'm creating worlds and manipulating details…

"You're still holding back. It's weird, but I think the fire in the fireplace turns green when you leave something out."

I looked at the fire. "That would be weird, but…" It wouldn't be the weirdest thing in this castle, I mean, there were four worlds hiding behind the door to my left.

The flames definitely turned green.

"Ugh! I can't even lie in my own dream? How incredibly rude!"

Nico smirked, then got serious and pulled up a chair, pointing at the other for me. "Tell me."

I sat down. "When I was taken that day, it was by some group that was reestablishing the meddlers."

"The people Grandpa Stoll mentioned," Nico stated more than asked.

"That didn't turn to gibberish? Huh, okay. Well, that's farther than I got with Dean." I rubbed my forehead for a second. "That first time I slept, the matriarch showed me this place…as well as…well, some other things. Ever since, when I'm not having nightmares or demigod dreams, I'm here."

"Other things?" Nico pressed.

I thought about my vault of secrets upstairs, and the room of worlds right next door. "A lot of it has been building this mind palace, but some of it is…like…"

Nico waited patiently, his stare intense.

"Kind of like a video game, one where you can create the world as you want and manipulate it in different ways." I figured there wasn't much harm in just telling him. It wasn't like I was actually twisting reality. It was all fake.

He looked surprised, then serious. "How?"

I shrugged and moved him and the chair across the room, then back again.

He was gripping the chair tightly. "Right, whims."

"Yup," I said, then shrugged again. Then I hesitated. "Would you…do you want to see one?"

He looked at me in surprise. "What?"

I got up and tossed the blanket over the back of the chair. "Do you want to see one?"

"Is that…possible?" He asked.

I nodded, my gut told me it was. He wasn't allowed to see the world room, but he could see the worlds. I had learned a day or two ago that I just sort of knew what was acceptable or not when it came to this dream place.

He stood up warily. "Nothing crazy, okay?"

I smirked. "So you don't want to see one."

He rolled his eyes, but took my hand.

"I have to blindfold you, okay?"

He looked uncertain, then nodded. "I trust you."

"A poor choice, but I'll try to live up to your trust."

He smirked at my half-hearted joke, then allowed me to blindfold him.

I led him into the world room, making sure it felt like a much longer trip for him.

"Dang, how far away was it?" He asked after we had actually taken three steps.

"Almost there." I pulled us into the world room, then looked at the ones I had and decided on the one where Johnny was the President of the Empire. I still wasn't sure how it had gotten to that point, but it was kind of a fun one to mess around in.

"Whoa…are we spinning?"

I took the blindfold off. "Nope."

He blinked a couple times, then looked around. "Um, this looks like New York."

"It is."

"Um…" He didn't seem to notice the differences.

I smiled at him. "Look at the lightpole, Nico."

He frowned and turned his gaze to follow mine. "No way…who put him in office? And…Empire?"

"Yeah, under Johnny's leadership, America actually took over five or six other nations and became an Empire. There wasn't even a war. It just sort of…happened. I'm still trying to figure it out." I shrugged. "In this reality, Percy and Annabeth already have three kids, I'm living it up as the reclusive writer in Ireland, Travis and Connor own a trillion-dollar company, Will found the cure for cancer, and you're a grief counselor with the hospital."

"Johnny is the frickin president of an empire? Hang on, grief counselor?!"

I shrugged. "Dude, I changed one thing and this is what happened. I plead innocent."

"What did you change?"

I bit my lip.

He looked at me with concern. "What did you change?"

"Well…I sort of…kind of…made it so…"

"Cassie, you're scaring me. Me." He added the last one for emphasis.

"I just…" I sighed. "I made it so I went to homecoming with him. Nothing big, we went as friends. Nothing seemed different and then all of this happened."

"You're a reclusive writer in Ireland, something must have happened. What about Malcolm?"

I shrugged. "We decided to go on a break when he went away to college the next fall and he ended up meeting someone else."

Nico looked at me. "Then what happened between us in this world that you're a recluse in Ireland?"

I shrugged. "I told you, I'm still not sure. I haven't finished exploring the history. But it's actually really cool. Pretty much everyone is living a happy life."

"Pretty much?" Nico asked. "You're a recluse in Ireland."

"You're a father, with four kids, a husband, a house, and what is seriously the happiest household ever."

He flinched. "Four?!"

"You had twins, congrats."

He shook his head. "How did I…nevermind, I don't want to know."

"That's good, because I don't know. Like I said, lots to explore here." I took his hand. It was comforting, having him there with me. Like it was real life, and not my freaky dreams.

He squeezed my hand. "So much going on in your head. How are you holding up?"

"Okay, it's actually oddly calming. I'm able to sort through things that I wouldn't be able to otherwise. Not enough time in the day and all." I shrugged. "The hardest thing is being able to do this and not knowing what it's actually for. Sure, it gives perspective, but…"

"Well, you said that this came about because of a small change in the past, and this is in the future, right? So can you go back and forth in time in these worlds?" He asked, his thinking scowl on.

I nodded. "Yeah, I seem to be able to."

He blinked, freezing for a second, still serious. "So you could see what happens in the original?"

I stood there, wrestling with the question that I hadn't even wanted to ask myself. "I don't think that's a good idea. That would probably invite more trouble than it's worth. No, I don't think I could do that."

Nico looked relieved. "Good."

"Good?"

"We've watched enough Doctor Who and all that to know that nothing good comes from knowing your future." He squeezed my hand. "It's more of an adventure this way. It is cool that Will and I are together in this reality, though."

"So far you're together in all but two. One because there aren't any humans and the other because you're with Connor."

Nico looked a little weirded out by that. "He's not…"

"I'm aware of that. Travis was with Katie in that reality, but they were both a little different as well."

"And in this one?"

"Connor and Katie, Travis and Michelle," I answered easily.

"Michelle?"

"Super Awesome," I answered. "In this reality they get married in December of 2018, and she's pregnant four months later. They have seven kids."

"Yikes," Nico shuddered.

"Oh yes," I led him around the block to where Percy and Annabeth were in the park with their kids. Two girls and a boy.

Nico stared for a moment. "That's so weird…"

"No, what's weird is seeing Leo with kids."

"Not Travis and Connor?"

I shrugged.

"Show me a different world. Like, right after the giant war." He asked.

I closed my eyes, imagining it, making a few changes here and there and then jerked Nico's hand toward me as we switched over to it.

We were in the Big house.

Nico shook his head slightly, then pointed at himself. "That's…that's me…"

I shushed him. "Chiron just told them he's goign to retire."

Nico tensed up, watching and listening with me.

"Retiring? But…who will run camp?" Annabeth's eyes were wide as she looked at the centaur.

Chiron shook his head, "The gods will appoint an activities director. Until then Mr. D will be in charge."

"Meaning the cabin leaders will be doing all the work," Connor muttered just loud enough for everyone to overhear.

Will looked worried. "What about the infirmary?"

"You are more than capable of handling that until a new activities director is appointed. It shouldn't take long, I know they already have a few in mind."

Percy scowled. "Right, because the last guy they appointed in your place was so great."

The older campers all grumbled agreement.

Chiron sighed. "I understand your concerns. However, it is still going to happen. I will stay for two weeks, then I will leave."

Lou Ellen sighed. "We'll miss you."

"And I will miss all of you. But times change, and it is time I did as well." Chiron wheeled himself out.

My Nico stepped closer to me. "Connor seems…"

I just nodded, watching.

Connor groaned and dropped his head to the table. "This is going to be a bigger mess than either of the wars."

"Especially if his replacement is as bad as Tantalus was," Sherman growled.

Percy shuddered slightly. "You all realize that Mr. D is going to make our lives miserable?"

"No, he's going to let us tear camp apart. He's not going to enforce much of anything, he never has. And he just lost a year to work off his penance so when he gets back he's going to be super grumpy." Katie shook her head. "How am I supposed to be okay with going home for school if camp is in chaos?"

Connor shook his head. "How can I ask Cecil to step up as leader? I was supposed to try and spend the fall with Travis. I've already paid the tuition for some classes. But Cecil needs a stable environment to learn how to reign in Alice and Julia."

The leaders all stared at Connor for a moment.

"I'm sorry…what?" This world's Nico asked.

"What what? Did I speak in Irish?" Connor asked, looking confused.

"I don't know, your assessment of Cecil or the fact that you're taking college classes in the fall."

"How did you pay for your classes?" Annabeth asked suspiciously.

"You speak Irish?" Lou Ellen asked.

He shrugged. "My grandfather is trying to make up for the fact that they wouldn't let him take me and Travis in. He gave us both some money. Yes, I'm taking classes in the fall. I've also been taking online classes this past year. As for Cecil…I thought it was a fair assessment."

"But you speak Irish?"

"Yeah. It was my first language. Only language my grandmother spoke. She was our babysitter." He tapped the table in no particular order, making Leo twitch. "Which is completely beside the point. With our luck, it will be someone as bad as Tantalus. Nothing we can do about that except try and prepare our campers for the worst." He got up and started to leave.

"That's it, Stoll? That's all you're going to say?" Sherman growled, standing up and placing his fists on the table.

"Temper temper," My Nico muttered, looking intrigued.

"I'm not a planner, Yang. That's the Athena cabin's bit," Connor spat out. "I have enough to do, preparing my cabin for this new challenge. I've had enough, I'm ready to move on with my life. Two wars, the battles…I can't do this anymore." His voice shook, and he glared off to one side. His hands were clenched in fists.

"Of course, Connor," Will said in a calming voice, giving Sherman a warning look. "You go ahead to get your cabin ready. We'll come up with a plan and I'll fill you in later."

"Will is pretty much the same no matter what happens," I told Nico, shaking my head a bit.

He smiled. "It's like watching a really weird TV show."

Connor gave a curt nod and left in a hurry.

Nico was frowning. "What was that?"

Will just shook his head slightly. "We've been through battles and wars, is it surprising that any campers have a bit of post traumatic stress? Much less the cabin leaders who got us through said wars."

Percy nodded slowly. "Yeah, which reminds me, my mom says I should talk to you about…some things."

"After we have plan," Will said easily, arm going around Nico's shoulders. He didn't seem surprised, and he wasn't. Nico had worked through his post-traumatic-stress, but Will had serious doubts about whether Percy or Annabeth had even acknowledged theirs.

Nico glanced at his boyfriend, then seemed to decide to settle his head on Will's shoulder.

"Hmm, you're bold in this world," I teased.

My Nico blushed. "He—I—He did it so easily…"

"What will we tell New Rome?" Chiara Benvenuti asked, folding her arms.

Damien White snorted. "We should worry about what to tell our campers, first. Then we'll let Percy and them deal with Rome."

"You mean Annabeth and them. Percy should give that a wide berth," Katie corrected, shaking her head a bit.

Percy only looked slightly insulted, but ended up shrugging.

My Nico pulled on my hand a little as the conversation around us broke into three groups. "I've seen enough here."

I nodded and sort of willed us out of the Big House.

Nico shook his head. "It's so weird, but it's cool. I just…what makes us different in this one? Why was I different?"

I tilted my head. "I'm not sure."

"What did you change?"

"Apollo's punishment. Actually, the whole situation around that. It was a bigger thing," I explained somewhat sheepishly. "But…" I gazed out over the field of strawberries.

"What?"

I shrugged. "Things seem better here. More difficulties in house, but no wars."

He frowned at the sky. "What does the future hold here? For both of us?"

I closed my eyes and focused on his future.

"Don't forget the cooler!" Will's voice called out. It sounded just slightly deeper.

Nico gasped next to me.

I opened my eyes.

We were standing in front of a house in a gorgeous neighborhood. The yards were spacious, none of the houses were the same, but they were all very nice. Kids played in the streets and on the sidewalks.

Will was loading up a vehicle with folding chairs and beach stuff.

An older version of Nico came out carrying a cooler. "Nag nag nag."

"Eh, you like it." Will scooped up the little boy that had followed at Nico's heels. "Doesn't he, Dec? Isn't he silly?"

"Papa silly!" The boy agreed, grinning. He was probably about five.

Nico death-gripped my hand.

Older Nico glanced at his watch after putting the cooler into the trunk. "Ana! Rory! Let's go!"

Two older girls—probably about twelve—came out together, bickering, identical twins.

"Interesting. They're identical here," I murmured.

Nico glanced at me. "They haven't been in other times?"

I shook my head.

"Dad! Papa! Tell her that she can't embarrass me!" The one pleaded, folding her arms.

The other girl, who looked like more of a tom-boy, stuck her tongue out. "You're the only one who's concerned about getting embarrassed with people we've known our whole lives!"

"There are boys there!"

"There are boys everywhere! I'm not going to stop having fun because you're overly worried about what boys think. Do these guys even qualify?" She rolled her eyes, naturally standing next to older Nico.

Will put an arm around the other. "Ana, relax. You're too young to worry about boys anyway. You're not allowed to date until you're at least sixteen."

"Eighteen," Nico came back with instantly.

"Nico."

"Will."

"Fine, Seventeen."

"Fine."

"You're not even allowed to date until you're seventeen."

"Is that how old you and Papa were?" The other, Rory, asked, Nico's questioning glare on her face.

"They…look like us…" my Nico whispered. His grip on my hand loosened.

I nodded and squeezed his hand, then found myself and pulled us there.

Nico shook his head, then looked around. "A…cemetery…"

I frowned and looked around, then my gaze landed on the tombstones in front of us. One was for my mom. The other was for me.

Nico was still looking around, confused. "Why are we here?"

I shook my head. "I was thinking about my mom. She died here too. Come on, let's check on Travis and Connor." I willed us away from there. He didn't need to know.

Connor was standing in front of a window, tracing something with his finger on the glass. He was wearing strange clothing.

Then I looked around.

"This…is this a mental hospital?" I asked, looking around.

Nico nodded slowly. "I think so."

I stared at Connor, trying to figure out what the heck had led to this.

Just then Travis came in.

"Hey, Con," He said in a forced cheerful voice. "I brought someone I wanted you to meet." He was leading a little boy that was the spitting image of them.

Connor didn't even look over. He stopped tracing the window, but continued to stare out the window.

"This is my son…this is Riley…" Travis said, his voice shaking.

The boy, Riley, looked up at Travis with understanding and sadness. Then he let go of his hand and went cautiously over to Connor.

Connor seemed to know and tensed up slightly.

Riley stopped about a foot from Connor, then stepped closer and boldly took Connor's hand. "Uncle?"

Connor didn't move a muscle, allowing the boy to take his hand. His gaze was unmoving, looking out the window.

No, looking at the reflection in the window of his nephew.

"Dad says that you and him did a lot together, growing up." Riley smiled easily. He didn't have the mischievous smirk of the boys, he had a wide smile, a genuine and friendly one. "He's been showing me how fight, he said that the sword I'm using was yours when you were little, like me."

I saw a tear streak down Connor's cheek, but he didn't move or change his facial expressions.

"Connor…" Travis pleaded. "At least look at us. Look at him. He's my son, Connor. You always said…you always said that you'd help me teach him how to fight, and play soccer. That we'd go to the orchards in fall and pick apples together. That you'd take my kid sledding in the winter so that me and my wife could have night with each other. Remember?"

Connor looked down, but that was his only response.

"This is seriously scary," Nico whispered.

Riley watched Connor for a moment, then looked back at his dad. "Why does he have to stay here? Can't we take him for a walk in the park?"

Travis looked at the ceiling, obviously struggling. "He won't go, Riley. Come on. We should leave him be."

Riley frowned, and looked back at Connor. Then he tugged on Connor's hand. "Get up. It's time to go for a walk."

"Riley."

"Uncle Connor, get up. It's time to go!" Riley's voice was forceful, and he pulled on Connor's hand.

Connor finally looked at Riley, his gaze flicking over to us briefly.

"He can see us," Nico breathed. "He can hear us."

I nodded slowly. "Connor, go with them. Go with your nephew."

Connor slowly nodded and turned around completely to shuffle along as Riley pulled on him.

Travis looked like he had been struck. "C-Connor?"

Riley grinned. "Come on, Uncle. Let's go for a walk in the park. Dad? Let's go."

Travis hesitated. "I have to talk to his doctors. Connor, can you wait for a few minutes while Riley and I check you out?"

Connor didn't respond.

"Dad, I'll stay with him. He won't hurt me."

Travis hesitated.

"Connor, look at your brother," I ordered.

Connor glanced our way, then looked up at Travis. He nodded a little, just barely moving his head.

Nico was holding his breath.

Travis stepped forward, then shook his head slightly. "I'll be right back."

Riley grinned up at Connor after his father was gone. "I knew you were in there."

Connor looked down at Riley, then over at us. He frowned as he looked at Nico, but he looked confused when he looked at me.

Nico squeezed my hand. "Will he…?"

I let go of his hand and walked toward Connor. "It's time to go back, Connor. It's time to be present. I know there was pain before, but you'll be okay this time." I gently touched his forehead.

He closed his eyes.

"What are you looking at, Uncle?"

Connor's eyes opened, and he blinked at me. "A girl I used to know."

Riley's eyes widened.

Something clattered to the floor in the doorway.

Travis stared at his brother. "Connor?"


	21. Birthday Kiss

I waited a moment, then once I could tell that Travis couldn't see us I stepped back and grabbed Nico's hand again, pulling him back to the room where the fireplace and bed were, not letting him see the room of doors.

Nico shivered. "We're back."

"It's almost morning." I gestured toward the windows.

He shook his head. "This is amazing, Cassie. I mean, not all of it is good, as we've seen, but…it's still amazing. We didn't see you in that world though."

I shrugged. "I thought about it. But if my mom had been alive, I wouldn't have been able to handle it."

He grimaced. "Yeah, that would have been bad." He then seemed to stop himself from saying something more.

"What is it?"

"Earlier you said you had a nightmare, about people in danger, and a monster in a creepy place?"

"Yeah. I did." I shivered a bit, remembering it.

"Maybe it was the Winchesters. I mean, they're always fighting monsters, right? It doesn't necessarily have to mean that it's demigods." Nico sounded like he hoped that was what it was.

I blinked slowly, feeling a sort of tug at my consciousness. "Nico, you better go back to your own dreams."

"Why?"

"Because, I'm being pulled back to mine." A cold breeze whipped through the room and a scream pierced the air.

Nico's eyes widened, but he faded out of view.

It seemed like forever later that I jerked awake, gasping for breath. The monster again, the group of people. They were still in trouble.

I heard the door open more than I saw it.

Travis poked his head in, as if he was just checking on me, but when he saw that I was sitting up in bed he stayed in the doorway. "Happy birthday."

I blinked at him, then groaned and flopped back, pulling one of the extra pillows over my face and holding it there.

"You okay?" He asked, tapping my hand.

"Can I die?" I asked through the pillow.

"What?"

I groaned again and moved the pillow, half-glaring at the ceiling. "I don't want today to be my birthday, I want today to be the day where I hide from the world, and the world hides from me."

"Okay," He responded lightly.

I looked at him incredulously.

He shrugged. "It's your birthday. I'm not about to rain on your parade. There are people in your house which makes things even more stressful. I'm willing to sneak your cake up to you once I get it if that's what you want. I also need to know what you want for dinner."

I looked at the ceiling, then back at him. "I can have anything?"

He nodded.

"Olive garden?"

He laughed and nodded. "Anything, and anyone you want to go with you."

I shook my head. "I'm not getting dressed up for it. I'll order carryout online."

"That…that works too. You can do that?"

I nodded. "It worked out great for me and mom."

"Well, I'll be near that part of town anyway to pick up your cake."

I grinned. "You got it from Pâtisserie, didn't you!?"

"Your favorite is the Chocolate Supreme, right? I also got a variety of cupcakes."

"What kind?" I sat up, excited.

"White chocolate raspberry, chocolate velvet, Boston creme, chocolate strawberry, and white velvet. A little overboard, maybe, but as long as they get eaten, who cares, right?" He looked at me and his eyes widened in alarm. "Hey, don't cry! I can make sure you never see them!"

I laughed. "I'm not crying."

He gave a little laugh and wiped some tears from my face. "Are you stress-paralyzed or something?" He was referencing one of my movies.

I wiped at my own face. "I like at least half of those flavors and have been meaning to try the others."

He nodded. "Well, there should be plenty, even with the extra people. I can get rid of two of them, but not the other two."

I frowned slightly. "Rachel and…?"

"Johnny ended up crashing here. It was so late by the time he finished helping Eithne and Aaron mediate that I told him to crash here. He didn't want to, knowing it was your birthday today, but I didn't want him to get in a crash or anything because he was tired. Nico's taking Rachel back around lunch time, actually."

"Oh, I don't mind Johnny being here."

Travis nodded. "Even after his comment last night?"

I blinked a couple times, trying to remember what was said. "Oh, wow…"

Travis laughed. "You just now processed that?"

"Well, I was tired." I smiled. "It's actually kind of funny in a sad sort of way."

He shook his head. "Nothing funny about it. You sure you're okay?"

I shrugged a little. "I care about him. I do. I think maybe the timing was wrong. Maybe if we had waited until we were older or something. I don't know."

"And right after you talked about him at one of your events, too."

I groaned slightly and dropped my face into a pillow. "I can't even remember what I said. Was it stupid?"

He shook his head. "Don't think so. Pretty sure you summed up that you're both intellectuals and yada yada. Something about both of you focusing more on your own educations…"

"Well, I wasn't wrong."

Travis was quiet.

After a while I sat back up. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"How long has it been since I thanked you?"

"What? For what?"

"For…everything. I mean, if it wasn't for you I'd be…"

He frowned and moved so he could hug me easier. "Don't go there. It's fine. I'm glad I'm here. In your life. It's cool having a little sister. Besides…you kind of saved me too."

"What?" I pulled away so I could look up at him.

He looked completely serious. "I was kind of at a crossroads when your mom contacted me about you. It gave me a purpose so I wasn't just spinning my wheels and hoping I moved. Because I was taking care of you after all of…that…it helped me realize just how much I like working at camp. I like being there and doing what I can to help them. Plus we wouldn't have found out that our mom…"

"Yeah," I responded softly. "I kind of expected a bit of a freak out for that, but neither of you have said much about it."

"Grandpa was heading up the search for where she might be."

I nodded. "Any luck?"

He shook his head. "Nothing yet. Only contact is the dreams…her helping us build worlds and such."

"She only came once, ever since then it's just been this feeling in my gut that's guided me," I whispered.

He nodded. "Same with me and Connor. Allison…I haven't had the chance to talk to her about it. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if she had already been part of the meddler world, or if it's not that different from her curse."

I remembered the first night at Camp Northpoint, all of the weird dreams we'd had. Possible futures that would no longer happen…

He nodded as if he knew what I was thinking. "Yeah, definitely like her curse." He glanced at the TV. "You know, you have a bunch of scooby-doo and Gilligan's Island downstairs."

I grinned. "Sunday morning TV with my big brother? Sounds good to me."

He smiled back. "I'll go grab them." He slipped out of the room.

I got comfortable again, turning on the TV and adjusting the volume. Some talk-show was on and they were talking about trending things.

"Talking about popular figures for teens, one of the big ones that took me by surprise was Cassandra Dellaro, the daughter of Juliet Dellaro, whose books we all adore. This summer, she spoke at a sort of memorial-book release event and she just capture the hearts of her mother's fans. But more recently, she spoke at a teen-empowerment conference in New-York and that video has gone viral as well."

My breath squeaked a little as I inhaled.

"It's funny you should bring that up because I was just watching it the other night. She has so many of her mother's mannerisms, and she really does capture your attention. She also comes across as extremely driven, and you can tell that she's not about to brag about her own achievements. She seemed much more comfortable on stage and she has this natural way of speaking. It's really refreshing to have someone speak so passionately and not have some sort of outline to her speech. Everything comes right from her head and heart to her audience and because of that, she's continually gaining fans."

I stared at the screen.

"You can tell she's thought about her stance on things, though. She's very concise and blunt about saying that she believes something and makes it very clear that…it is what it is, you know? She's not about to apologize for believing what she does because she actually has reasoning and logic for her reasons."

"Ah, her stance on gun control?"

Crap, crap, crap! It wasn't supposed to be taped!

"Yeah."

"Well, it might also be considered close-minded."

"But it's a fact that Juliet Dellaro had a conceal-carry license and she didn't have her weapon with her the one time that it would have been useful to have it. Considering what happened to her mother, it's actually a very solid ground for her reasoning."

"Thank you," I muttered to the host on my side.

"She'll have to be careful about her opinions in the future though."

"Oh definitely. But her book comes out next week, right?"

"This week, it comes out this Friday, just in time for the Christmas rush! It'll be interesting to see if her writing is as good as her mother's."

Travis blocked the screen to put the DVD in. "Why are you watching this trash?"

"I was just waiting for you," I squeaked out.

"Did you want breakfast?" He asked.

I thought for a moment. "I'm gonna get some bread."

"I can get it."

"No, I need to get Batman too."

"Okay," He replied. "I'll get this queued up."

I slid out of bed and trudged as quietly as I could downstairs to find my lazy dog and to get some homemade bread and a glass of orange juice.

Batman moseyed on over to me, wagging his tail.

"Were you on the couch again?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

He looked away.

"Of course you were." I sighed and got my food and orange juice.

Johnny appeared, his hair a mess, and looking half-asleep. "Happy birthday."

I blinked at him, a little surprised that that was the first thing out of his mouth. "Morning…where were you sleeping?"

"Well, I did crash on the couch, then the dog tried to smother me, so I slept on his bed because I don't think I actually woke up."

"He never uses it anyway," I offered as consolation.

He shrugged a bit. "Either way, that's what showers are for."

I smiled a little, waiting for the microwave to finish warming my bread.

He looked a little nervous suddenly. "A-about what I said last night…"

I shrugged. "You weren't wrong. It was mostly exhaustion on my part, I think."

"You're not mad?" He seemed taken aback.

"Do you want me to be mad?"

He quickly shook his head. "It's just, most people wouldn't be okay with that especially the same day that…"

I shrugged again.

He didn't say anything for a while. "Anyway, happy birthday. I should head home."

"Stay," I said before I had even thought it through. "Travis got a whole bunch of cupcakes and cake from the patisserie in Saginaw and we're going to have carry-out Olive Garden. Besides…you're important to me. My confidant. First friend I made at school." I smiled at him.

He hesitantly smiled back. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." I kept smiling until he relaxed.

He nodded slowly. "Okay." Then he hesitated again. "What's wrong?"

I looked back at him again. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Travis came down earlier to get DVD's for you and him, so I figured he would probably have gotten those things and the dog for you, since it's your birthday, but you insisted on doing it for some reason. So what's wrong?"

"You have got to stop spending so much time with people," I muttered. "There was a segment on a morning show, they were talkign about me. Apparently, the speech I gave at the teen empowerment conference was recorded and it's gone viral as well."

"Oh?" He leaned against the counter.

"I talked about having a boyfriend, and answered a question about my stance on gun control."

"Oh…" He winced.

"So now I have to be extra careful about what I talk about. I'm sure the criticism is raining in and that was just a small taste of it." I shook my head a little. "Why do people even care so much? It is what it is. Just let it be. I mean, I'm writer, right?"

He nodded.

"I'm so paranoid about offending people that can't even bring myself to write a black character because I'm afraid of being called racist! But if I stick to writing white characters, I'll still be called a racist! One of my stories doesn't even take place in the same galaxy, and I'm still nervous about writing black characters because it's like people are looking to be offended by every little thing and I'm so sick of it and my book comes out Friday and I just…" I covered my face with my hands, trying to calm down.

"You're exaggerating," He said softly, gently touching my arm. "But I get where you're coming from. It's okay to be feeling some pressure. It's a big deal. You shouldn't have to worry about getting criticized. Not when you're in high school getting criticized by your peers."

I snorted out a little laughter, uncovering my face.

"Better," He whispered, smiling gently at me. "Go watch some Scooby-Doo. Don't worry about your book or the public. Just…focus on things that make you happy."

I kissed his cheek. "I'll return the favor someday," I whispered and hurried off with my food.

Why the heck did I just do that?

"Take your time," He called after me.

 **AN: So, there's a new story called Asters and Warhammers. It's because of some characters that came up in my one-shots, and their quest was mentioned in this story quite a few times, so if you're interested in their story, check it out! Also...I honestly didn't expect some of the turns this story took, so you'll have to forgive me. Sometimes it just sort of gets away from me...**


	22. My Way

After some much-needed down-time—just watching cartoons with Travis, then with Nico after he woke up, then Johnny and Aaron as well after we invited them in—I eventually got up and locked myself into the office for some writing time.

Well, after I watched a ton of youtube videos about dogs, cats, and different music things, and after I revamped my writing playlist.

In other words, I procrastinated for about an hour and a half and then ended up writing about five-hundred words before glaring at the story and closing the window.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Entrer!" I called out, not really thinking about it.

Johnny poked his head in. "Um, was that French?"

"Bite me."

"I don't think we're there yet," He replied.

I frowned a bit, trying to figure out what he meant, then chucked a pillow at his head. "Johnathan Finnian Cahill, get your mind out of the gutter!"

He just laughed a bit. "Um, yeah, I wasn't thinking of it that way. I was more thinking about how siblings sometimes bite each other, but thank you for that." He rubbed his head and neck.

I swear I resembled a tomato, my face had to be that red. My cheeks and ears were burning.

"Geez, what did you and your boyfriend even do?" He finally asked, shaking his head a bit.

"Honestly?"

"No, I don't need…" He quite audibly stopped himself from continuing. "Nico says that he'd watch some show that he had refused to watch before since it's your birthday."

I thought for a moment, then grinned. "Miraculous!" I darted out. "There are episodes in French on Youtube!"

"Seriously? Don't you need to know French?"

"Subtitles, silly!" I bounced happily to the living room. "Besides, the newest episode is supposed to change everything."

"I know," He replied.

I froze, turning toward him.

"I have sisters remember? It's miraculous if I ever get the remote." Johnny shrugged. "Could be worse. They could still be into Barbie movies. Or they could have taken to My Little Pony." He shuddered.

"That's right, you only have one or two brothers."

"Two. I have two brothers. One who's long been gone from our house, and the other who hasn't started having a preference in shows yet. The rest are girls. I'm surrounded," He said it both dramatically and matter-of-factly, which I thought was quite the feat. "Anyway, isn't it a little illegal to watch episodes on youtube before they're released in your country?"

I stuck my tongue out. "Don't get logical on me. I'm still going to watch it when it comes out here, and I'm buying the seasons."

"Do you want a Chat Noir Hoodie?" He teased.

"Uh…" I looked away.

He laughed. "I know, I know. You want one of the awesome ones from amazon or something and not the one from the website."

"Guilty," I breathed.

He just laughed a little and gave me a friendly shove. "Come on, dork. I'll find Glaciator for you."

"You speak French, don't you?"

"Oui, je parle française. Ma mère m'a fait apprendre. Je regarde souvent des films en français." Yes I speak french. My mother made me learn. I often watch films in french.

"I hate you too." I glared playfully at him.

He just grinned, laughing still. "But seriously, I needed a foreign language to get into this school and thankfully mom had made me study it. Even had me spend a couple weeks one summer with some distant cousins who live in France. That was…special. Spent the whole summer trying to explain to them that media manipulates information to get the reaction they want from the public during political events."

"You would talk about that."

"Well, they couldn't follow how Americans could vote for either candidate when both seemed to have so many problems. I also spent the summer refraining from jokes about the French that my dad pulls out all the time." He frowned, seeming to think about all the jokes he could have made.

I shook my head. "Mom gave me three basic rules for conversation. Don't talk about religion, don't talk about politics, and when in doubt make the conversation about the other person."

"Good rules," Travis commented, looking over from the kitchen.

Nico made a face. "Wouldn't religion and politics be grouped together? They're basically the same anyway."

Aaron choked slightly. "No. NO."

I winced slightly. "You see…"

"They're different. A person who is religious isn't necessarily republican or democratic." Johnny's voice was calm, but his movements betrayed some hesitance. "And religion can be a volatile subject in any context, not just political. And politics can be volatile in any context."

Nico didn't look convinced. "Weren't the political beginnings of the nation somewhat religious?"

"Actually, politics could be considered a religion," Travis commented lightly. "But we're violating both conversation rules of Cassie's so, we should drop it. It is her birthday, after all."

"But…" Nico scowled slightly.

I threw a blanket over his head. "It's different. Religion is a belief in higher powers, or that was the meaning, now it also encompasses a set of traditions and practices associated with the belief. It can be anything from believing in the Greek gods, to the various forms of Christianity, to the atheism. Politics are about government, authority, and law. Got it?"

He sort of glared at me. "Why do you always throw them over my head?"

"You're a shadow-gremlin. Only light you're drawn to is Will," I teased.

"Cass, why do you have so much K-Pop in your history?" Johnny asked, smirking at me.

I glared at him. "Birthday girl, just pull up my show."

"I'm just trying to understand you a little better."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Cahill."

"They're a good group." Aaron had his laptop out, various stickers plastered on the back. "Which is your favorite song?"

"Right now…it's a tie between Go Go and Not Today," I answered.

He nodded. "Their Halloween video for Go Go is fun."

I grinned and nodded. "Makes me happy."

Johnny frowned a bit, then clicked that video.

"No, what are you doing?" I reached over to take the control.

Nico stopped me. "Hang on, what language are they speaking?"

"Korean, they're a Korean Pop group. Hence, K-pop. Playing Rock, Paper, Scissors for…what?" Johnny watched the screen analytically.

Then it cut to them in their costumes.

"Oh…oh…"

Nico smirked.

By the end of the video, I was fighting my grin and Nico was in an amused stupor.

Johnny just stared at the screen with a bewildered smile. "I'm so conflicted."

I just took the control and pulled up Netflix instead of YouTube, then selected Gilmore Girls and started looking through the episodes for the one that best suited my mood.

"You can learn a lot about a person from their Netflix queue," Johnny mentioned, teasing again.

I rolled my eyes. "You mean that bar they keep hiding from me?"

He laughed. "NCIS, Gilmore Girls, Friends, Leverage, The Office, and Supernatural all in your recently watched list."

"Oh, you caught me, I'm a normal person. I don't take risks in shows, and the worst rating on my list is probably PG-13…I'm boring. Seriously. Oh, I did start watching that American Horror Story show, but…"

"Scared you?"

I shook my head. "I was just kind of bored and confused, then disgusted and bored. Well, one of the episodes scared me, so I ended up watching Supernatural for a couple hours."

"Speaking of…" Nico gestured to the TV. "How accurate do you think that show is? And when are they getting here?"

I shrugged a little. "Hard to say. They sounded pretty busy on the phone."

"Define busy?"

"I'm pretty sure they called while they were in the middle of a fight."

Travis' phone started ringing. "Shoot. It's my classmate." He went out of the room.

I picked an episode and we started watching it.

"Took you long enough to pick," Nico grumbled.

I rolled my eyes, focusing on the show.

We sort of bounced around according to my whims, none of them uttering one complaint about what I chose, which was strange but kind of nice. The day passed sort of languidly, with me doing things that I wanted. I only got teased for about half an hour for my interest in K-Pop.

Aaron was the only one who seemed to understand the choice of music, but then again, he seemed inclined to like most music.

Yesterday could almost be passed off as a bad dream, a really bad dream.

Nico nudged me. "Hey, you okay?"

I shrugged. "I'm really good actually. This is going better than I thought it would. I thought I'd be screaming in frustration."

He nodded slightly. "I know you said you didn't want a present…"

I sighed. "Give it now. Travis should be back any second."

He darted off to grab it, and came back with an odd-looking present. "It's not much."

I took it from him, curiosity peaked. I opened it carefully and then pulled out some drawings. Some really good drawings.

I grinned. "You made these for me?"

He looked a little bashful as he nodded.

I hugged him tightly. "Thank you! I love them!"

He hugged me back, but pulled away quickly. "Monday, we're talking about something."

"Uh oh," I responded immediately.

He nodded.

"Got the food!" Travis called from the door.

We all gathered around to get our food of choice and go back to watching our show.

Travis sat next to me. "Good?"

"Mmhmmm," I grinned at him. "You got the cupcakes too?"

"Of course. I have completed my mission." Travis bit into a bread-stick. "Guess Italy did something right, this food is primo."

"So good," Johnny agreed. "Aaron? Your food is gonna get cold."

Aaron nodded a little, frowning at the plate. "I'm having trouble sensing temperature today."

Johnny poked the food. "It won't burn you."

Aaron looked surprised but started eating.

Nico shuddered. "Don't touch my food, Cahill."

"Didn't plan on it, Di Angelo."

The two started bickering playfully, with Aaron following the banter with mild interest.

Travis chuckled. "Johnny really is good with people, isn't he?"

"Super good. He adapts quickly and makes people feel comfortable. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if he ended up in some sort of leadership position in the future. He's capable." I looked up at Travis. "You said you have to go down tomorrow morning and will be gone for a couple days for school projects?"

"Don't change the subject," He replied, smirking slightly.

"Sorry, did you want to gush over Johnny?"

He snorted. "Hardly."

"Then what more was there to say? Keeping in mind that it is my birthday."

He looked at me, then away. "Nothing, I guess."

I nodded a bit. "Right. So, leave tomorrow and come back when?"

"Probably Thursday, maybe Friday. Then exams are the week after."

"Got it." I added it to my mental calendar.

"Kelpies are terrible," Aaron suddenly said. "Because you really have to actually be afraid of horses, or have someone else there to be able to fight them. That's how strong their magic is."

"Huh," Nico grunted. "So it's like Johnny's charm?"

Johnny tackled him and they started wrestling playfully while Aaron laughed.

Yeah. This birthday wasn't half-bad.

 **AN: (Not like it's been over a month or anything...)**


	23. Just One of Those Days

**AN: I am so, so, so sorry for dropping this. I've been trying to write this for a few months. I got in a slump back in February when I had some...personal troubles, then after finding out that Jason dies I couldn't even focus on anything Percy Jackson related. I never meant to drop this, and guilt finally drove me to finish this part. I'm going to try and finish this story, but it might be slow going. I don't even know if anyone is waiting for this to drop, but here it is. I had too many ideas I tried to combine and I think it backfired. Thanks for sticking around. I'll try to get the rest done. 3**

School seemed mundane after our weekend.

Even Johnny kept looking at me with a bored expression, and at lunch we all sat down and just looked at each other with tired expressions.

"School seems like such a boring thing after our Saturday," Nico said, frowning at the table.

"Seriously," Johnny sighed and stretched.

Joey dropped into a seat at our table. "Dudes, that party Friday totally makes today feel like a drag. I don't know how I'm gonna make it through history."

I shook my head a little.

"You never make it through History. You're drooling by the time she tells us to open our textbooks." Nico rolled his eyes.

Johnny chuckled. "You still slacking, Tribbiani?"

"I'm passing…sort of."

"How did you get into this school?" Lexi asked, setting her tray down and sitting next to Johnny.

"Math, he got in because he's a math whiz. Unfortunately, he doesn't have to put any effort into math so he adopts that same attitude with every other subject as well." Johnny shook his head at his teammate.

Joey just shrugged. "I'm passing."

"Sort of," Nico echoed.

I smiled down at my food.

"You're quiet today, Cassie." Lexi pointed out.

"Oh, I guess you could say that my mind was worlds away," I responded, shrugging a little. "Besides, I have to figure out what to do about my story for our class. I keep looking at it and wishing I could shove it where the sun don't shine."

"What? But it's—"

"A fantastic pile of stagnant crap that has so many flaws that every time I go to write in it, I feel like tearing my hair out and screaming words I'm not particularly inclined to speaking. I would burn it if the irony of it all wasn't so severe. As it is, I might take it and toss it into Saginaw Bay with all the other crap." I rolled my eyes, just thinking about it.

"She's suffering from some mild writer's block," Nico told Lexi.

I just muttered something about the stupid plot and went back to my lunch, messing with my playlist for writing later. It was getting a little desperate.

"Hey, did you hear what the school board is proposing given the school closing earlier this year?" Joey changed the subject.

"Christmas break being cut even shorter, I heard. I'm opposed." I glared at my phone though it hadn't done anything wrong. "Hey, class President and student representative?"

"Yeah, I know. We're looking for alternative options. It would help if there were less Joey's," Johnny glared a little at Joey.

Joey raised his hands in defeat. "What do I need to do, oh great one?"

"Bring your grades up and be up for cramming before break, or an over-break assignment."

"Oooh…grades and cramming I'm down for. Over break assignment sounds like a terrible punishment." Joey took my abandoned apple and switched it with a container of strawberries.

I nodded my thanks and started snacking on the strawberries instead. "I mean, if it's anything like our regular assignments, and we have the whole break to do it then it shouldn't be too bad."

"Lexi, you're good at Chemistry, right?" Nico asked.

She nodded. "Aced it."

"Help a guy out after school?"

"Sure thing. Know anything about ancient Greece?"

He smirked. "I'm pretty well-versed in it."

Joey sighed. "Want to truly appreciate your English skills, Cassie?"

"Need me to help you with reports?"

He nodded sharply.

"Sure thing."

"And then I need help with poli-sci," Joey said, looking at Johnny.

"How soon?"

"By Thursday."

"I can help after school tomorrow. My little sister has a recital tonight." Johnny took my offer of half a sandwich, handing over a peanut-butter oatmeal bar. "You don't have much of an appetite."

"Crappy, stagnant, story. I'm craving sweet things. Like, I'm wishing I had packed a cupcake this morning." I sighed and bit into the peanut butter bar.

"It was a long weekend," Nico told Lexi.

I gave him a soft glare. "What's with you today?"

He gave a tired smirk. "It was a long weekend."

I shook my head and yawned, zoning out again slightly as they talked about something going on at school. I was building a fortress, enjoying messing with slightly steam-punkish world that I had created last night.

"Cass, the bell rang." Johnny nudged me.

I flinched and then quickly gathered my stuff up again and hurried to my class.

Classes sort of blended together, with science and math sort of passing by in a weird haze of note-taking and question answering.

I then went to the classroom where the writing/reading club met and started helping Joey with a report he was writing for history. Pointing out some of his issues to watch out for and taking a red pen to it with some malice.

He looked over the paper with wide eyes, one page at a time as I finished marking them up. "Crap. How am I supposed to fix this?"

"I suggest using a second document with your text to edit. That way if you make a mistake you can see what it used to be." I finished the last page and slid it to the bottom of the pile.

"Something bugging you, Cassie?" Lexi asked, looking worried.

I shook my head. "It's just a weird time right now. My book comes out Friday and I had a crazy weekend. I'm just avoiding all media sources right now. I don't think I could handle seeing what people are saying about me or my book, whether it's positive or negative. Or about my speech at that conference."

"Oh, I was just watching that the other night—"

"Stop! I just said I don't want to know what people are thinking about it!" I protested, folding my arms and sitting back in my seat.

Nico patted my head.

"Do you at least know about the fans that are going to your book-signing on Saturday?"

I shook my head. "I told Jacob just to tell me when he was picking me up." I really didn't want to even think about my book. I wouldn't have agreed to a book signing if Lorraine hadn't insisted on it. But my insistence of not talking about it just seemed to make them want to talk about it more. Honestly, I was at the point where I wanted to throttle someone and Lexi was close enough to be the target.

"I thought you hated surprises," Freddy pointed out.

"I do," I muttered, still not sure how to explain my thinking to them. I didn't want the surprise of what would await me at the book signing, but I also knew there was no real way of knowing what would happen at the book signing either. No matter what I was told, there would still be surprises and I would still have to deal with them on my own. Honestly, I was okay with knowing I would be surprised by whatever happened this Saturday. I knew enough about what would happen to be okay.

"Don't you want to know what's going on out there?"

"I don't."

Lexi squeaked in disbelief. "Don't you have really bad reactions—"

"Can we please stop talking about my life?" I snapped.

Silence followed, and I struggled to stay quiet.

I finally shook my head. "I need to go. Joey, email me if you have any questions. Nico?"

"I'll be out in a minute," He replied, starting to gather his stuff.

I nodded and quickly left, rushing out of the school and toward the car. I felt bad about snapping, but I also felt like they had it coming. What part of no didn't they understand?

I rushed to the car and got in, slamming the door shut and hitting the steering wheel in frustration. This was what I wanted. To be a writer.

But it didn't feel like I had earned it myself. Maybe in a few years it would feel like I had, but right now it just felt like I was benefiting from my mother's work and fans.

Logically, I knew that it was a smart move on Jacob's part. It was tough being an unknown author, and often didn't pan out for everyone.

"Cassie?" Nico asked, getting into the car quietly.

"Not now, Nico." I gripped the steering wheel, then changed gears as he buckled up. I whipped the car out of the parking space since the parking lot was empty.

"Should you really drive angry?"

"Do you have a license?"

"No…"

I left it at that, just wanting to get home. I had to actively ignore the concern that radiated from Nico from the passenger seat, resorting to blaring music just a little too loud and half-heartedly mouthing the words to the angsty songs that played. I couldn't focus on anything other than driving, there was this sinking feeling in my stomach. It felt like something bad was happening and I had no idea how to stop it. I was helpless.

"Did I do something wrong?" Nico asked after you had pulled into the driveway and got out of the car.

"No."

"Are you okay?"

"No."

"Do you want to—"

"No, Nico. I really don't want to talk about it. I want to go inside, do my homework, and then hide in my room for the next twelve hours with a tub of icecream and about a dozen movies, blare my music so loud that I can't even hear myself think, and pretend that I'm a normal person for once in my life!" I slammed my backpack onto the counter. My hands were shaking and I felt like a terrible human being for snapping at him. But that feeling that something was wrong was practically stabbing me in the gut.

I heard footsteps quickly retreating from me and Nico and silently cursed myself for forgetting about Aaron. Last thing he needed was for us to be arguing.

"Cassie…what's normal?" Nico asked, his voice soft, but also a little frustrated.

I took a deep breath and turned around to face him. "I don't know."

He studied my face for a second, then grabbed my phone. He then held it back to me. "Call your shrink. See if you can get in tomorrow."

I stared at the phone, then carefully took it. "Fine." I made the call, knowing Nico wouldn't leave me alone until I did. After I hung up, I stared at the floor. "I'm sorry."

He hugged me, squeezing tightly. "It's okay, Cassie. I can handle it. I just want you to be happy. I know you're stressing out because of…multiple things. Our future looks pretty crazy. We're all preparing for a war that may or may not come. And figuring out how to fight these…otherworldly beings…"

"Iron," Aaron said from the doorway.

We both stared at him, confused and surprised.

He looked at the floor. "Iron is their weakness. Won't kill them, but it weakens them."

I vaguely recalled hearing that somewhere. It made sense that Eithne wouldn't want to speak about it. It was her own weakness as well.

Aaron took a deep breath. "I don't know what happened for you guys today, but there's a slight problem."

"Problem?" I asked, tensing.

"Can't find the cat," He said. "Hasn't eaten anything, water still full, Batman is freaking out."

Nico's eyes widened. "Parker!" He scrambled off.

I looked at Aaron. "Where is Batman?"

"In the laundry room. Cat's hiding up in Nico's room."

I stared at him, a little concerned. "Nico's going to kill you if he finds out you lied. He loves his cat."

"Here's hoping he doesn't find out. I need to talk to you about something."

"Talk, quickly." I folded my arms.

He was quiet for a second. "I found this in your old room." He held up a paper.

I frowned, taking it and reading over it. It wasn't my handwriting. I sat down as I read it over.

 _"'With the moon lighting up the snowy field, both side of the army grew restless, waiting for that inevitable moment where fighting would break out and both sides would suffer losses. Both sides wondered if this fight was even worth it, both sides considering the words of peacemaking spoken by different girls. Girls that now stood between the two armies, weapons at each other's throats._

 _"I tried to stop this," The taller said. Both knew she would lose the moment a real fight started._

 _"We both did."_

 _"There's still time. We just need to hold off the war for a couple more hours."_

 _The other nodded, eyes fixed on the reflection of her people behind her. "If I move, an archer will strike you down."_

 _"Then you better not move. The Romans and Greeks are prepared to strike if I go down as well. They don't know me as well, but they know enough to know that if I go down…"_

 _"What's taking her so long? She knows we're short on time. Do you think…he's safe?"_

 _"I know he is, Eithne. As do you. As long we keep the fighting at bay.""_

I looked up at Aaron. "Where did you find this?"

"The bed. It was on the bed when I went up to get my history textbook."

"Which means you were meant to find it. Okay." I shook my head and handed it back to him.

He took it back. "You know who the other one is?"

"Allison. Allison and Eithne. You're the Him. I'm the She."

He nodded. "It's weird that we both know that without ever reading it."

I sighed. "We'll figure out why soon. I'm sure." I hope.


	24. Book Signing

**A/N: I'm trying to finish this story out, it's just taking longer because my hard-drive died and I only got some of it back. Sorry it's not getting updated as often.**

It took a few moments before it hit.

My book came out yesterday.

I'm doing a book signing today.

I rolled over, looking at the picture of my mom and I, then I got up and started getting ready. I kept it nice, but casual. I braided part of it, but kept it down. I didn't want to inhibit my habit of playing with my hair. It would've just led to your hair looking a mess.

Nico was trying to make breakfast, scolding Aaron.

Travis was actually making breakfast.

Jacob was staring at his phone.

I sat on one of the stools, watching the mild chaos.

Aaron looked thoroughly chastised, letting Nico apply some aloe to his fingers. "I just wanted to help."

"I told you the stove was on and the pan was hot."

"I know. I heard."

"But you still touched it."

"I…"

I rolled my eyes. "Nico, lay off him. Sometimes he can't control his impulses, right Aaron?"

He looked over with relief and nodded.

Nico had flinched and cursed in Greek. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," I replied. "How long until breakfast is ready, Travis?"

"Yours will be done in about two seconds."

"Hey, I was making breakfast," Nico objected.

"No, you were dilly-dallying and scolding," Travis corrected, looking tired. He had gotten in late last night so that he could come today.

"Boys, remember what we talked about?" Jacob said, sounding entirely distracted. He was jotting some notes down.

Travis set my plate in front of me. "My lady."

"Thanks." I started scarfing down my food. I had a weird feeling about today.

After breakfast, we sort of rushed around and got ready to go, Nico and Aaron helping since they weren't coming.

Nico hugged me tightly. "Take lots of breaks and let Travis know if you're getting overwhelmed. I'll text you throughout the day. So will Johnny and the others. We're your support today."

"Thanks, Nico." I pressed a kiss to his cheek, then gave him a smile.

He smiled back.

"We should get going," Jacob said, steering me toward the door.

I glanced back, nerves getting to me again.

Nico gave me a thumbs up and Aaron was sort of smiling in his own nervous way, holding his hurt hand.

I drummed my fingers on the car door the whole ride, staring outside without actually seeing anything. I felt a little nauseous, but mostly I was tired. I wasn't expecting too much from today.

We arrived at the back of the building, and were led through to a room by the manager.

"Alright, this is the break room. When you're on break, this is where you go. You can get back here, but others can't so anything you want to keep back here you can. We'll have security guards all over the place, so you and your things will be safe. We even consulted with the police on the security. Now, we have a table set up out there and you have three bouquets that were delivered for you that are on your table as well as some extra books. One of the bouquets was...unusual so we put it behind the others. We have extra markers for signing in case the one you have dies, and we'll make sure that we stick as closely to the schedule as possible."

I nodded, glancing at Travis nervously.

The manager led the three of us through to the table where I would be signing books so I could familiarize myself with my surroundings.

I smiled at the bouquet of yellow roses, and the other mixed arrangement of lilies and others.

Then I saw the last bouquet. Weird was right.

At first glance, I recognized daffodils, lily of the valley, holly, rosemary, and rhododendron. It made a weird combination, especially with the plants I didn't quite recognize. Some of the flowers that looked like daffodils and might have been narcissus or jonquil but you weren't completely read up on your flowers.

"It came with a list of the species that were in the bouquet." The manager pointed to a paper tucked into the bouquet.

I frowned, grabbing the paper and reading through the list. So it was jonquil, along with begonia, astilbe, sage, and bitter root. I frowned over the list, then noticed a weird sort of shimmering to the paper.

Magic.

I tucked the paper in your pocket and then turned to smile at the manager. "It's from a friend, could you put it in the back room with my things?"

"Of course, miss. I'll take care of it."

Jacob adjusted the chairs that were with yours. "This okay? Any problems?"

"Um," I looked at how long the queue was set up to be. "How many people are they expecting?"

"You said you didn't want to know, and I scheduled breaks for you and lunch will be delivered as instructed. We'll be done by seven at the latest."

"Seven...ignore what I said, how many are we expecting?"

Travis and Jacob looked at each other.

I frowned. "Is it so few that they want me to stay long, or is it so many they don't think I'll get through everyone?"

Travis just guided me to where I could see outside.

Despite it being early (on a winter morning in Michigan—it was 22 degrees outside last I checked), there was a huge line forming. It was extremely organized, and some people were wearing costumes.

I went closer and could see that the crowd was huge. I could hear the hum of conversation from all the people waiting. Supposedly to see me.

"Don't panic, they'll come in in an orderly fashion. We'll have plenty of time for breaks, and it was made public knowledge that you might not get to everyone." Travis rubbed my shoulder. "Should we tell you how your book has done now?"

"They all bought my book?" I asked, pointing outside. That couldn't be true. That couldn't possibly be true. I was a first time author. This book was the first book I had ever published. Even if people had bought the book, I would have expected it to be because of my mother's short novel that accompanied my novel. I definitely wouldn't have expected it this many people to come to the book signing.

"Well, your book has been back-ordered for about a month now. We ended up printing twice as many as we thought and even with that we're having to print more. Most bookstores were sold out last night." Jacob helped Travis guide me to the seat behind the table.

"And tons of people traveled here for this book-signing, which meant the bookstores here were swamped. Super swamped. Thankfully, that was taken into consideration and they were sent extra books. There's been chatter for the past month or so about having reading parties and such for this book. Of getting here as early as possible. It's like Black Friday out there. There's already a couple news vans that Jacob has to go address."

Jacob muttered a curse. "Why did I become a publicist?"

"I know that you're still a publicist because you love me to some extent or other," I offered, processing all the new information. Surprises are inevitable. Maybe if I kept thinking that I would believe it. "Are they doing this because of my mother?"

"Maybe partially, but also because you're you. You speak and people listen, they want to listen. Your story is great. It's real. Captivating. Everyone knows that you had an amazing teacher in your mother, but she also talked about how she got her inspiration and help in you. You are an influential figure now, Cassie. Your work is paying off, and your words are impacting people. This is just a result of that." Travis squeezed my shoulder.

I nodded slowly. "When do the doors open?"

"Fifteen minutes. Go ahead and get yourself set up," Jacob said, straightening his tie.

I nodded again, opening my notebook to a blank page and setting it to the right side of the table with a pen in case I needed to make note of something or pass a message to Travis or Jacob. I hid my water bottle behind the flowers, along with lip balm, a pocket mirror, a container of mints, and my phone. I straightened the markers, sent up a little prayer that I didn't make a fool of myself, checked my appearance again, and then waited.

The doors were opened by two of the security guards, and the noise that came with the crowd was...significant.

I swallowed hard, glancing at Travis nervously.

"Smile," He said, holding up his phone.

I did, figuring he was going to send it to Nico so that he wouldn't worry too much.

"Hi," A girl said in front of me, making my gaze snap back.

I somehow managed to keep my smile, noticing that the queue was filling in rapidly behind her. "Hello," I said, sliding the book towards me and opening to the title page.

"I've already finished it and oh my God, I love it so much! The characters were amazing, I mean, I wish I had a Hank for myself!" She gushed.

I grinned. "Right? I love writing his dialog because it's so different from hers. Name?"

"Oh!" She told me her name and I quickly made it out to her, signing my name. Suddenly those hours I spent goofing off with my mom signing my name didn't seem like such a bad idea. My signature looked halfway decent.

Then she was gone and a guy was in front of me, giving me his name.

"I heard your speech back in November, saw the video online," He said.

"I'm so sorry," I deadpanned, closing the book and passing it back to him.

"Why? I started volunteering at a homeless shelter near my house. I figured out the logistics of putting in a vegetable garden on their roof and we're growing foods there to cut the kitchen costs so that we can help more people and I never would have thought about it if your speech hadn't gotten me off my ass. Thanks."

I couldn't even respond before he was gone. I was sort of in shock.

Dozens and dozens of people came by the table, getting my signature and sometimes sharing stories or gushing over my story. Talking about how I had inspired them, or how mom had inspired them.

The ones about mom stung a little, but it was actually really nice to hear other people talking about her. It was cool seeing people dressed as her characters and coming to get my book signed.

I got periodic texts of support from Nico, Johnny, and the others from the book club (who had all told me that they fully expected me to sign their copies of my book at the next meeting way back on Thursday). You even got a text from Malcolm. Then one from Eric and the others from Northpoint.

Travis checked on you periodically, sometimes just getting your attention by shifting in his seat (he was working on a term paper) and raising an eyebrow at you, and other times verbally asking if you were okay. He switched out your empty water bottle for a full one, wrote funny notes back to you when you passed him the notebook, and had instructed Nico to send pictures of Batman and Parker periodically.

"What's your name?" I asked the pre-teen in front of me, taking the book.

"Gretchen," She replied, seeming nervous. "Your mom saved me."

I froze, looking up at her. Then I looked down, unable to smile in surprise. "Really?"

"I sent her a fan letter. In it, I told her about my parents." She looked down. "I'd never even told my teachers. I'm with a really good family now. They're adopting me."

I looked up at her, finding the memory. "Gretchen Dearling from Chicago. You wrote to her two years ago on yellow construction paper and had a Hello Kitty stamp on the envelope. She kept that letter. I thought she had responded to it, I didn't know that she had done more than that."

Her eyes were huge. "You..."

"I have a really good memory, and mom had me help her go through the fan mail. I started reading it, but I handed it over to her. She left the room with it, came back two hours later and wouldn't let me go for the rest of the night." I finished signing her book. "She talked about how important it was that we use what abilities we're given to help those around us."

"She created a monster," Travis joked quietly.

Gretchen giggled, then took the book back and hugged it to her chest.

"Be careful reading that, if it starts to get in your head, put it down, forget about it, okay?" I reached out, not touching her, but making sure she heard me.

She nodded, then was gone.

The next few people go by in a flash, and suddenly Jacob was announcing a break so I could eat lunch quickly.

I looked around. "There's water and snacks for them, right?"

Jacob nodded. "We're getting them passed out now."

I nodded again, then hurried after Travis, nudging his arm so he would put it around me.

He complied easily, placing a kiss on my head. "You're doing well."

"How's your paper going?"

"Editing right now, should be done by tonight. We have good food waiting."

I nodded and ducked into the back room, greeted by some lovely smells of lunch. "This is so weird. There's been so many people, and there are still more."

"It's going to be a long day," He agreed, guiding me to a seat.

I let my gaze drop to the strange bouquet, fixated on the lily of the valley.

"What friend sent that?" Travis asked, sitting down, and turning the vase.

"I don't know, but it has to have been a friend..."

The vase.

The vase had petunias painted on it.

The strange combination of flowers and herbs, the list of the names, a petunia covered vase. It could only be one person.

He put some food in front of me. "Hey, you still with me?"

I flashed him a smile and nodded. "I'm still here. Looks amazing." I started eating, shoving the thoughts to the back of my mind until I could figure out what the message Petunia was sending me meant.

Travis frowned at his phone as it started vibrating, answering it. "Rachel?"

I froze, setting down my fork.

He listened for a minute. "Are you sure?" He nodded. "Okay." He held out the phone to me.

I took it hesitantly. "Hello?"

"Hey, I've just had this weird feeling that I needed to call you."

"Okay," I said, shrugging at Travis. "Was it about what I wrote?"

She started speaking, then went quiet. There was a strange noise on the other end of the phone, and when she started speaking, it was like she spoke with a thousand voices.

I kept the confused expression on my face as alarm spread throughout me. I listened to her words carefully, making note to write it down as soon as I could. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind, thanks." I hung up and handed the phone back to Travis. "She's crazy."

He laughed. "Yeah, she is. Was it about what you wrote?"

"No, she was just following a hunch and telling me something that came to mind." I kept eating.

He nodded and continued eating as well, reading something on his phone.

I made note of what she told me, and quickly flipped to a new page and then started jotting down a to-do list for once I got home. "Can we go to the bookstore before we go home?"

"Probably be closed. Want me to pick something up?"

I shook my head. "No, nevermind. I probably won't be able to find the book I want anyway. I'll order it." I pulled out my phone and quickly researched what I needed, then ordered it.

We enjoyed each other's company in silence, and I was surprised at how quiet it was compared to out there.

And hating that it made my thoughts about the prophecy she had given me that much louder.


End file.
